Sources: Federal Trade Commission likely to lead any Google probe

The next antitrust probe of search giant Google — if there is one — would most likely be conducted by the Federal Trade Commission, knowledgeable sources told POLITICO.

Under a long-standing practice between the federal government’s two antitrust authorities, the FTC and the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division alternate reviewing cases against Google. The FTC is next in line, the sources said. The DOJ earlier this month concluded a lengthy antitrust review of Google’s acquisition of travel software maker ITA, approving the deal with numerous conditions that will require ongoing review by the agency. The merger approval is still awaiting a green light from the courts. Meanwhile, some of Google’s business rivals, in addition to some public interest advocates, have been calling for a broader antitrust probe of Google. The Mountain View, Calif., company is under fire from Microsoft and other competitors — including smaller businesses — which accuse Google of leveraging its dominance in search and search advertising to favor its own products.