A statement from Paul Lekas, SIIA SVP for Global Public Policy:
The American Innovation and Choice Online Act (S.2992) and its companion bill in the House (H.R.3816) are a solution in search of a problem. The sweeping pronouncements made yesterday by the acting head of the Department of Justice’s Office of Legislative Affairs in support of those bills doesn’t change that. Contrary to what the DOJ letter asserts, it is not at all clear that there is a need, let alone a pressing one, for Congress to augment or clarify existing antitrust law or for the government to try to influence how digital markets work in the manner these bills propose. Our current antitrust laws have served us well for over a century and continue to do so.
Beyond being unnecessary, however, there is every reason to believe that the bills present serious risks to our national security and, if enacted, would dangerously weaken our cybersecurity defenses at a time when both are under threat. The DOJ letter glosses over these concerns. Striking the right balance between the many and varied interests that these bills seek to address requires difficult tradeoffs and careful deliberation. Given what is at stake, we cannot afford to get this wrong.
For more on SIIA’s concerns with S.2992 and H.R.3816 see here.
