Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

Beijing, September 7 (Xinhua)-- it is reported that as the US mid-term elections approach, the high-profile measures promoted by the US Congress to curb large Internet companies may face failure due to the gradual closure of the time window.

Since 2021, Alphabet's Google, Apple, Amazon and Meta Platforms and their industry groups have spent nearly $95 million lobbying to block the AOL Innovation and Choice Act (American Innovation and Choice Online Act). The bill has made unprecedented progress in the history of US legislation in addressing the market dominance of the world's most well-funded companies.

After nearly two years of struggle, the bill has now reached a critical stage: the Senate will end its recess this week and make a final sprint before the mid-term elections in November. Supporters of the bill say they have the necessary support, but it is not clear what the situation is, and the Senate is busy dealing with other spending legislation that must be passed.

The slowdown in the bill is believed to stem from conversations with more than 20 supporters and critics, including policy experts, lobbyists, congressional aides and advocates. A US congressional staff member even called it a "moment of life and death".

"if supporters of the bill get enough votes, it will no longer be the bill, but the law." Matt Schruz (Matt Schruers), president of the computer and Communications Industry Association, says the association represents the interests of large technology companies.

If the legislation fails, it will be a heavy blow to politicians, activists and regulators who claim that Silicon Valley exercises too much control over people's lives. Technology companies will be the big winners, claiming that the legislation undermines privacy, threatens national security and reduces the quality of products that users like.

But supporters believe that even if the bill falls short, the resulting attention will contribute to the adoption of some antitrust measures, which will still have more impact than any previous legislation. Sarah Miller, director of the American Economic Freedom Program (American Economic Liberties Project), an antitrust nonprofit, said she supported the bill and hoped it would be passed, but admitted it would be difficult to achieve overnight.

"now is a good time to move forward with the bill." "but will the bill to deal with the monopoly of big technology companies end here? no, I won't," Miller said.

Although the reform of antitrust policies to suppress technology giants has won bipartisan support in this Congress, but the Republican majority in next year's House of Representatives is likely to focus on issues related to the suppression of conservative views on Internet platforms.

That is why tech lobbyists have been trying to buy time. California Republican Kevin McCarthy (Kevin McCarthy), who is expected to become speaker of the House of Representatives, has publicly opposed the antitrust plan. There are not a few similar Republican leaders.

Proponents of the legislation are also aware that the time window is narrowing. Antitrust advocates had hoped to vote four weeks before Congress adjourned in August. But majority leader Chuck Schumer (Chuck Schumer) said in July that the bill did not have enough votes to pass.

As co-sponsors of the bill, Minnesota Democrat Amy Kraubucha (Amy Klobuchar) and Iowa Republican Chuck Grassley (Chuck Grassley) believe that Schumer will summon the Senate to vote to launch the final test of the bill.

"once the vote is launched, we believe it will be passed." Kraubucha said.

The bill, which has 13 co-sponsors in the Senate, needs 60 votes in the Senate to pass before it will be submitted to the House of Representatives. Luther Lowe, head of public policy at Yelp, a long-time critic of Google, said that if the formal voting process was entered, there would be enough swing lawmakers to support the bill.

A spokesman for Schumer said he was working with the sponsors of the bill to find supporters and that he still planned to press ahead with the voting process.

The bill was previously supported by the judicial committees of both houses of Congress, and the two parties are in agreement. Several amendments to the bill also address privacy and security issues. Mr Lowe of Yelp said the problems that failed to stifle the bill "made it stronger".

The bill aims to limit the preference of technology companies towards their own products and avoid the disadvantage of competitors who rely on these platforms to attract consumers. This may have an impact on the design of Google Maps, the way Apple music is displayed, and the way Amazon Basics is highlighted.

People familiar with the matter said Kraubucha's employees were still communicating with a number of Democratic senators who were concerned that the legislation might have an impact on content review. Brian Schatz, Democrat of Hawaii, and Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, have promised to support the bill if they adjust accordingly.

However, the legislative process will not become any easier. The U. S. government will begin the next fiscal year on October 1, so Congress must set the government budget in September. The Senate has only two weeks of session in October before the mid-term elections begin.

"I don't think there will be a vote." Michael Petrelicowen, senior vice president of government affairs at the Consumer Technology Association (Consumer Technology Association), said his industry group represents the interests of companies such as Amazon, Google and Meta. "as the mid-term elections approach, I expect senators to focus on the issues that voters value when they come back from vacation. Technology regulation is not among them."

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