WASHINGTON—In response to the House Judiciary Committee’s release today of its Final Report on Competition in the Digital Marketplace, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), the leading think tank for science and technology policy, released the following statement from Julie Carlson, associate director of ITIF’s Schumpeter Project on Competition Policy:
The addition of a handful of new documents does not alter the conclusion that the House Judiciary Committee’s report on competition in digital markets is seriously flawed. The updated report continues to incorrectly conclude that updates to the antitrust laws are needed to address the supposed lack of competition in digital markets.
The report assumes that there can never be robust competition in platform markets and ignores the entry of new players based on new innovations. TikTok’s disruption of Facebook demonstrates how a small player with an innovative product can threaten an incumbent platform.
Given the importance and size of major technology companies, it is appropriate for Congress to focus on antitrust issues in the industry. But any such focus should be directed to assessments of firm conduct and avoid targeting enforcement solely based on firm size. To do otherwise would hurt U.S. innovation, competitiveness, and consumer welfare.
For more legislative analysis on antitrust, see:
