Reuters has read discussion drafts of five measures. Sources
familiar with the process say they may be changed before they are introduced.
They may be introduced this week but that may be delayed, two sources said.
Among the five bills being considered, two address the
problems of platforms, like Amazon.com, creating a space for businesses to sell
products and then competing against those products.
One of the two would make it illegal in most cases for a
platform to advantage its own products on its platform with potentially a fine
of 30% of the U.S. revenues of the affected business if they violate the
measure. A second requires platforms to sell any business if owning it creates
an incentive for the platform to advantage its own products or lines of business.
A third bill would require a platform to refrain from any
merger unless it can show the acquired company does not compete with any
product or service the platform is in.
A fourth would require platforms to set up a way for users
to transfer data if they desire, including to a competing business. A fifth is
similar to a Senate measure that would raise what the Justice Department and
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charge to assess the biggest companies to ensure
their mergers are legal and increase the budget of the agencies.
The House Judiciary Committee's antitrust panel wrote a
report that was issued in October 2020 that spelled out abuses by four big
technology companies, Alphabet Inc's Google, Apple Inc, Amazon.com and
Facebook. The report -- which was scathing -- suggested expansive changes to
antitrust law.