Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Chairwoman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights, along with Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), reintroduced S.2033, the American Innovation and Choice Online Act (AICOA), on June 15.
The Responsible Online Commerce Coalition (ROCC) strongly supports this pro-business, pro-innovation, and pro-consumer bill to address the abuse of monopoly power by Big Tech gatekeeper platforms such as Amazon and level the playing field for all businesses.
AICOA takes aim at “an economy that is increasingly dominated by just a handful of online gatekeeper platforms,” and a digital marketplace that is “very broken,” said Amanda Lewis, co-founder of ROCC and its director of competition policy for the U.S.
AICOA targets the ability of large platforms to engage in discriminatory policies, such as Amazon’s anti-competitive pricing rules that lock in its market dominance and effectively ban third-party sellers and vendors from offering goods to consumers for less than the price on Amazon.
“Our nation’s prosperity is built on a foundation of fair competition and open markets. But right now we’re facing a monopoly problem as dominant digital platforms – some of the most powerful companies the world has ever known – increasingly give preference to their own products and services,” Klobuchar said in a statement.
Senator Grassley also commented on the bill’s reintroduction, stating, “Big Tech needs to be held accountable if they behave in a discriminatory manner. Our bill will help create a more even playing field and ensure that small businesses are able to compete with these platforms.”
Additional cosponsors included Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Senate Judiciary Committee Chair; Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member; Richard Blumenthal (D-CT); Josh Hawley (R-MO); Mazie Hirono (D-HI); Mark Warner (D-VA); and Cory Booker (D-NJ).
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