Senate Panel Approves Antitrust Bill Restricting Big Tech Platforms

A Senate panel approved antitrust legislation forbidding the largest tech platforms from favoring their own products and services over competitors’, scoring a win for backers of stricter Big Tech regulation against fierce industry opposition. The American Innovation and Choice Online Act moves next to the Senate floor, where several senators said they wanted to see additional changes before backing the measure. The January 20, 16-6 vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee showed the bill had bipartisan support but also raised bipartisan concerns. The bill targets dominant tech platforms, including Amazon's e-commerce site, Google's search engine, Apple's App Store and Meta's Facebook. Those companies have been working for months to stop or alter the bill, deploying teams of lobbyists and top executives to Washington. Some have funded advocacy groups that oppose the measure and publicly warned that the bill could disrupt popular services. Supporters, including smaller tech companies such as Yelp and Sonos, say the legislation would benefit consumers by boosting competition on platforms that are abusing their market power. Senators in favor of the bill say it makes exceptions that protect features consumers like. Lawmakers amended the bill to address industry concerns; one new provision is designed to include large, foreign-owned tech platforms such as the popular TikTok app owned by China’s ByteDance.