Senator Duckworth Responds To My Letter

Dear Mr. Rosen,

Thank you for contacting me about legislative proposals seeking to strengthen enforcement of antitrust law to promote greater competition in the technology sector. I appreciate you taking the time to make me aware of your concerns on this important matter. 

In recent years, bipartisan concerns have emerged over the growing influence and power of a select number of large technology companies that dominate the digital marketplace, often referred to as “Big Tech.” For example, the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Antirust, Commercial and Administrative Law conducted a 16-month investigation that included seven Congressional 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. This review culminated in the publication of a 450-page comprehensive report which is available online: “Investigation of Competition in Digital Markets.”

The House Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law’s conclusion that Big Tech corporations are leveraging marketplace dominance to engage in anticompetitive and monopolistic practices align with other inquiries. For example, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) authorized a complaint against Facebook in December 2020 alleging the company engaged in unlawful anticompetitive conduct over multiple years to preserve its monopoly status. In response to these findings, the House Judiciary Committee debated six legislative proposals seeking to crack down on Big Tech anticompetitive practices over 29 hours, and a narrow majority of Democratic and Republican Committee Members voted to favorably report all six bills to the full U.S. House of Representatives for consideration and a vote.

These legislative proposals would enhance the authority of regulators to take action to breakup market dominant technology companies that operate under clear conflicts of interest which harm competition and limit consumer choice; prohibit aggressive acquisition strategies and discriminatory conduct that large corporations use to eliminate potential marketplace threats from smaller competitors; increase the costs of executing mergers and promote interoperability requirements that empower consumers to easily switch between online services provided by different companies. Please be assured that I will keep your views in mind should the U.S. House of Representatives pass this bipartisan package of Big Tech antitrust bills and send it to the Senate for consideration.

As your Senator, I strongly support pro-consumer policies that increase competition, lower prices and promote innovation. We must never forget that the current market dominant corporations that comprise Big Tech were once dynamic start-ups that disrupted the marketplace with new products and services that spurred economic growth and job creation. Moving forward, Congress should take action to empower and protect the next generation of small businesses and entrepreneurs so that they are also able to flourish in the rapidly evolving digital economy.

Thank you again for contacting me on this important issue. If you would like more information on my work in the Senate, please visit my website at www.duckworth.senate.gov. You can access my voting record and see what I am doing to address today’s most important issues. I hope that you will continue to share your views and opinions with me and let me know whenever I may be of assistance to you.

Senator Tammy Duckworth