Lawmakers in Congress are reportedly drafting a bill that will team news publishers against Facebook and Google.
The House Judiciary Committee plans to allow smaller US news organizations in the coming weeks to negotiate collectively with the two Tech Titans, the panel’s top Republican Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.). Told Reuters.
The reported bill would cover the growing regulatory pressure on Facebook and Google to accuse news outlets of using their content without proper compensation.
The fight reached a fever pitch in Australia this week when Facebook blocked users from sharing news content in response to a proposed law that paid publishers from tech giants for the use of their content appearing in search results or news feeds Will talk on
Buck told Reuters that the upcoming US law would be similar to the 2019 bill that would have enabled smaller publishers to negotiate with Facebook and Google and run without conflicting laws.
The measure was reportedly co-sponsored by Rep. David Sicilin (D-RI), who chairs the retaliatory panel of the Judiciary Committee.
“The biggest threat to the free market economy is big technology, and it (potential legislation) should be fully focused on that,” Buck told Reuters.
Google has already negotiated the deal to pay media groups around the world for its content, including News Corp, which owns The Post and the Wall Street Journal.
A spokesman for Buck did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on Friday.
News of the bill came after another House panel announced plans for three Big Tech CEOs, for another round of congressional testimony.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Google chief Sundar Pichai and Twitter owner Jack Dorsey will appear before the Energy and Commerce Committee on March 25 to discuss “misinformation and disintegrating online platforms”. MPs announced on Thursday.
The three men were grilled by the Senate Commerce Committee in October. Dorsey and Zuckerberg returned in November for a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.
Leave a Reply