Industry Thoughts for FTC

The News Media Alliance, which represents the newspaper industry, laid out a potential antitrust case against its foes, Google and Facebook, in comments filed with the Federal Trade Commission. The organization outlined legal considerations — including non-price harm to consumers, such as the newspaper industry’s ability to sustain journalism — and explained “how they connect to a potential antitrust case against one or more platforms.” 

The Internet Association, which represents Google and Facebook, noted that enforcement related to privacy should “encourage companies to take innovative approaches to privacy and data security given each company’s resources, and the volume and sensitivity of the personal information each company collects.” The organization also filed comments in response to the FTC’s inquiry on intellectual property, saying “the problem of low-quality patents” is a concern that merits further study.

Taking note of the FCC’s repeal of net neutrality regulations, which put the FTC in charge of policing broadband providers, AT&T said the agency should avoid ISP-only rules. Instead, the expectations for internet service providers should be the same as those for other players in the internet ecosystem, the company said. AT&T also argued that vertical mergers — such as its deal with Time Warner — are “usually procompetitive.”