The House Judiciary Committee advanced five antitrust bills targeting the biggest tech companies in the country during a markup that stretched into the early hours Thursday morning.
Although the bills had bipartisan support, they also drew criticism from Democrats and Republicans, highlighting the uphill battle they’ll face as they head to a full floor vote.
Before adjourning Thursday morning, the committee voted to advance one of the most controversial measures, which aims to prohibit dominant platforms from self-preferring their own products and services.
The committee also voted to advance a bill that would prohibit tech giants from acquiring competitors.
The proposal comes as Facebook is facing a lawsuit from the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general nationwide on its acquisitions of WhatsApp and Instagram, which the social media platform has defended against allegations of anti-competitiveness.
After contentious debate over a proposal aimed at requiring interoperability and data portability requirements, the bill, known as the Access Act, advanced.
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JUST IN: House advances five bills targeting big tech after overnight slugfest https://t.co/C84hoBmrC7 pic.twitter.com/b8OyTDU02J
— The Hill (@thehill) June 24, 2021
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