Taxpayers Protection Alliance Foundation on American Innovation And Choice Online Act Markup
For Immediate Release Contact: Abigail Graham: (202-417-7235)
January 20, 2022
Washington, D.C. – As the markup of the American Choice & Innovation Online Act begins today, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance Foundation (TPAF) continues to highlight the negative outcomes for both businesses and consumers contained in this legislation.
In preparation of this markup, TPA Executive Director, Patrick Hedger, offered the following comment:
“Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee is set to begin their markup of the American Choice and Innovation Online Act. This bill will harm competition and put the security of businesses and consumers at risk.
“Instead of promoting competition, this bill singles out the key tech players: Apple, Google, Facebook, and Amazon, making radical changes to antitrust law as we know it. The covered companies will be held to a different standard, a gross injustice given the competition they all face from one another and countless, less-innovative firms.
“With growing cybersecurity concerns, ensuring smart device security is paramount. This bill will allow third parties to demand significant access to competitors’ software ecosystems and increases the risk for all Americans with smartphones, tablets, and other connected devices.
“The managers amendment currently being circulated in the Committee essentially acknowledges these consumer harms, but offers no course correction.”
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The Taxpayers Protection Alliance Foundation (TPAF) is a non-profit non-partisan organization dedicated to educating the public through research, investigative reporting, and analysis about the effects of excessive taxation, regulation, and spending by all levels of government.
Published on January 20, 2022