Reining In Big Tech

As Chairman of the House Subcommittee of Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law, Congressman Cicilline has been leading the fight to hold Big Tech accountable.

In the 116th Congress, he oversaw the Subcommittee’s 16-month, top-to-bottom investigation into the state of competition in the digital marketplace, which included seven hearings, the production of nearly 1.3 million internal documents and communications, submissions from 38 antitrust experts, and interviews with more than 240 market participants.

In the 117th Congress, the Congressman led the introduction of six bipartisan bills to build a stronger online economy. All six bills have been approved by the House Judiciary Committee.

  • H.R. 3816, the “American Choice and Innovation Online Act” prohibits discriminatory conduct by dominant platforms, including a ban on self-preferencing and picking winners and losers online. The bill is sponsored by Antitrust Subcommittee Chairman David N. Cicilline (D-RI) and cosponsored by Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX).
  • H.R. 3460, the “State Antitrust Enforcement Venue Act of 2021” ensures state attorneys general are able to remain in the court they select rather than having their cases moved to a court the defendant prefers. The bill is sponsored by Antitrust Subcommittee Ranking Member Ken Buck (R-CO) and cosponsored by Antitrust Subcommittee Chairman Cicilline (D-RI).
  • H.R. 3826, the “Platform Competition and Opportunity Act” prohibits acquisitions of competitive threats by dominant platforms, as well acquisitions that expand or entrench the market power of online platforms. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and cosponsored by Antitrust Subcommittee Ranking Member Buck (R-CO).
  • H.R. 3825, the “Ending Platform Monopolies Act” eliminates the ability of dominant platforms to leverage their control across multiple business lines to self-preference and disadvantage competitors in ways that undermine free and fair competition. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) and cosponsored by Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX).
  • H.R. 3849, the “Augmenting Compatibility and Competition by Enabling Service Switching (ACCESS) Act” promotes competition online by lowering barriers to entry and switching costs for businesses and consumers through interoperability and data portability requirements. This bill is sponsored by Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA) and cosponsored by Rep. Burgess Owens (R-UT).
  • H.R. 3843, the “Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act” updates filing fees for mergers for the first time in two decades to ensure that the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission have the resources they need to aggressively enforce the antitrust laws. This bill is sponsored by Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO) and cosponsored by Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN).

More on Reining In Big Tech

Cicilline Applauds House Passage of Legislation to Support Antitrust Litigation
September 29, 2022
Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman David N. Cicilline (RI-01), Chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law, today applauded House passage of H.R. 3843, the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2022, legislation introduced based on the findings of the Subcommittee’s 16-month, top-to-bottom investigation into the state of competition in the digital marketplace.
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September 13, 2022
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Editorial - Congress must end Big Tech’s news profiteering
August 24, 2022
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Cicilline, Klobuchar, Kennedy, Buck, Durbin, Nadler Release Updated Bipartisan Journalism Bill
August 23, 2022
Press Release
WASHINGTON — Representative David Cicilline (D-RI); Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN); Senator John Kennedy (R-LA); Representative Ken Buck (R-CO); and Senate and House Judiciary Committee Chairs Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) released a revised and expanded version of the bipartisan Journalism Competition and Preservation Act to address dominant online platforms’ power over news organizations.
Issues: Reining In Big Tech
Judiciary Committee Publishes Final Report on Competition in the Digital Marketplace
July 19, 2022
Press Release
Washington, D.C. – The House Judiciary Committee today formally published the Committee’s Report, entitled “Investigation of Competition in the Digital Marketplace: Committee Report and Recommendations.” The report was initially released in October 2020 as a Majority Staff Report following a 16-month investigation, led by the Antitrust Subcommittee, into the state of competition in the digital economy, with a focus on the challenges presented by the dominance of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google. In April 2021, the Committee held a markup and formally adopted the Report. The Report totals more than 450 pages, detailing the findings and recommendations from a bipartisan investigation that included seven congressional hearings; the production of nearly 1.3 million internal documents and communications from the investigated firms; submissions from 38 antitrust experts; and interviews with more than 240 market participants, former employees of the investigated firms, and other individuals.
Issues: Reining In Big Tech