Lawmakers on Friday debuted bipartisan bills that could fundamentally change how Big Tech does business in the U.S.
Driving the news: If passed, the bills could force Apple to change how it runs its app store, break apart Amazon's control of its marketplace and halt Facebook and Google from buying smaller rivals in an effort to remake the online ecosystem.
Why it matters: The legislation is the latest attempt by the government to curb the power of tech giants.
Details: House lawmakers have sponsored five bipartisan bills that represent the culmination of a years-long inquiry into the power of Big Tech.
What they're saying: A White House official tells Axios the administration will work with Congress as the process moves forward.
1. The American Innovation and Choice Online Act, led by Democratic Rep. David Cicilline of Rhode Island, who helms the antitrust subcommittee, and Rep. Lance Gooden (R-Tex.), is meant to prevent dominant companies from unfairly disadvantaging rivals, such as preventing smaller companies from establishing their own prices for goods and services.
2. The Platform Competition and Opportunity Act, led by Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), bans major online players from buying competitive threats. The bill is also supported by Reps. Cicilline, Nadler, Buck, Cawthorn, Gooden along with Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fl).
3. The Ending Platform Monopolies Act, led by Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash) and supported by Reps. Cicilline, Nadler, Gooden, Cawthorn and Buck, could break up Amazon by making it illegal for the company to both own the platform and offer competing services on it.
4. The Augmenting Compatibility and Competition by Enabling Service Switching (ACCESS) Act, led by Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa), and supported Reps. Cicilline, Nadler, Buck, Cawthorn and Burgess Owens (R-UT) is meant to increase competition by forcing companies to give consumers the ability to switch data between platforms.
5. The Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act, led by Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Co) and supported by Reps. Buck and Cawthorn along with Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN) and Rep. Chip Roy (R-Tex.), would give enforcement agencies more teeth and resources by requiring higher fees for mergers valued at $1 billion and more.
Go deeper:
Murdoch empire pushes Republicans to back tech antitrust bills
Lawmakers ready antitrust bills to take on Big Tech
New tech antitrust hurdle: GOP divisions
What the Big Tech hearings really accomplished
House Judiciary's tech antitrust report urges sweeping legal changes
Editor's note: This story has been updated with more co-sponsors who signed onto the bills and a statement from the White House.
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