US, what Democrats and Republicans are studying on Big Tech
What US Democrats and Republicans agree on for Big Tech antitrust policies
US Democrats and Republicans appear to have found common ground on ways to counter the monopolies of big tech companies that could push them to an agreement to update the Antitrust framework for the renewal of Congress.
EASIER TO AGREE ON ANTITRUST POLICIES THAN ON MODERATION OR RESPONSIBILITY OF CONTENT
The representatives of both sides, in fact, would see it easier to agree on antitrust political actions rather than proposing guidelines of moderation or responsibility concerning the contents conveyed by the American technological giants where, Axios admits, the parties could not be "more distant", despite agreeing on the need for change.
THE FOUR POINTS OF THE BIPARTISAN UNDERSTANDING
But what could these reforms be? One indication could come from the work that Democrats and Republicans are doing on the antitrust committee of the House Justice Commission, which this year released an extensive report proposing measures to curb Big Tech companies. According to some sources collected by Axios, there are at least four points in which the bipartisan action would have been concentrated, namely, first of all, that of greater funding for the main antitrust agencies.
For US lawmakers on both sides, the Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department should have resources that can guarantee them the ability to tackle rich, highly legitimized societies.
Second, US lawmakers are calling for the burden of proof for proposed mergers to be changed so that companies whose market share exceeds a certain threshold are considered monopolies and must prove that their agreement does not harm competition.
The third point focuses on the data portability requirements for platforms, so that consumers can move their information from one service to another.
Finally, Democrats and Republicans are calling for a ban on platform polarization and "self-bias", which occurs when news services display ads for the service you use above those of competitors.
FROM THE TENS OF SOLUTION REPORT
The 450-page report released by the commission in October outlined dozens of legislative solutions and enforcement ideas to support current antitrust law.
STRUCTURAL SEPARATIONS ARE ASKED BUT DIFFICULT COMPROMISE
Most of the report's recommendations call for "structural separations". A solution that, however, will be more difficult for Republicans to digest, as the Democratic Representative of Congress David Cicilline, who heads the antitrust subpanel, told Axios .
According to Cicilline, any “self-preference” bill would be a long-term project that would require technical drafting and further bipartisan support.
A DRAFT LAW WITHIN THE NEXT YEAR
"Leading lawmakers and sources familiar with the committee's work say collaborators aim to produce bills that can be introduced early next year," Axios concluded.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/usa-cosa-studiano-democratici-e-repubblicani-sulle-big-tech/ on Sat, 28 Nov 2020 17:44:38 +0000.