After approving five major antitrust bills on Wed., House committee approves the Ending Platform Monopolies Act on Thursday; all bills now head to House floor

I'm going to sleep — This story is part of a group of stories called — After nearly two years of investigations …

The Verge 2021-06-25 Makena Kelly

Context & Ripple Effects

The House's Big Tech antitrust push moved from a sweeping investigation announced in 2019 to a bipartisan package introduced this month. After the committee advanced five measures covering issues including data portability and acquisitions, it has now cleared the final measure as well, sending the full package to the House floor.

The related coverage also notes that the bills differ in how far they would reshape consumer-tech markets and sometimes conflict. Floor consideration is therefore the first point at which the package must function as a coordinated legislative agenda rather than a set of committee-approved proposals.

First-order effects

The House floor receives the Ending Platform Monopolies Act alongside the five measures approved by the committee the day before, concentrating the chamber's next antitrust debate on a single package.
Amazon, Apple, Google, and Facebook—the companies named in the earlier bill rollout—face a broader set of proposed limits moving beyond any one practice.

Second-order effects

House lawmakers must resolve tensions among the bills identified in prior coverage if they want the measures to advance as a coherent package on the floor.
The package links platform-conduct rules with data portability and acquisition scrutiny, making it harder for the affected companies to treat each proposal as an isolated policy fight.

Third-order effects

The progression from investigation to floor-bound legislation marks a shift toward writing platform-specific antitrust rules, rather than relying solely on case-by-case enforcement.
If the measures advance together, congressional competition policy would increasingly treat large consumer platforms as a distinct regulatory target with interlocking rules on conduct, data, and acquisitions.

The trend: Congressional scrutiny of major consumer-tech platforms is evolving from an investigative record into a multi-bill effort to codify competition constraints.

Discussion

@repkenbuck Rep. Ken Buck on x
Big Tech lobbied against all six antitrust bills, saying they would not pass out of Committee. I'm proud to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to Break Up Big Tech and advance these bills to the House floor.
@davidcicilline David Cicilline on x
After 29 hours, and Big Tech's best efforts, the House Judiciary Committee has passed all six bills of our agenda to build #AStrongerOnlineEconomy! Big win for consumers, workers, and small businesses!
@lutherlowe Luther Lowe on x
Pay attention to the expectations game here, journalists: In addition to all the other FUD, Big Tech shills are suggesting bills won't survive House floor or Senate. They said the same thing about surviving committee. This is a live ball and suggesting otherwise is inaccurate. ht…
@russellbrandom Russell Brandom on x
As antitrust action heats up, we're finding out how much Congress really has the stomach for https://www.theverge.com/...
@rachelbovard Rachel Bovard on x
Fascinating to watch Republicans & Democrats markup these Big Tech bills knowing it's their only shot to amend them because closed rules (blocking all amendments) on the House floor have become a bipartisan tradition.
@repjayapal Rep. Pramila Jayapal on x
It could not be more clear that unregulated tech giants have become too big to care and too powerful to ever put people over profits — so we must. My bill that passed is a structural solution to a structural problem, and I'll continue pushing it forward. https://jayapal.house.gov…
@fboversight @fboversight on x
.@RepMondaire in the House Judiciary markup: “It is not lost on me that Facebook facilitated an insurrection that almost took my life and the lives of many of us here today.”
@jim_jordan Rep. Jim Jordan on x
Democrats don't want to stop Big Tech's bias against conservatives. They want MORE censorship. And they openly admit it!
@public_citizen @public_citizen on x
BREAKING: The House Judiciary Committee just passed 5 bills that would break up Big Tech and start reining in their monopoly power. This is a huge victory, overcoming massive opposition from tech lobbyists.
@jason_kint Jason Kint on x
Facebook, Amazon and Google lost today.
@repcawthorn Rep. Madison Cawthorn on x
House Republicans are taking action to rein in the powers of #BigTech. Their days of oppressive abuse and power are numbered. @RepKenBuck and I are taking a stand. https://twitter.com/...
@lancegooden Lance Gooden on x
The Judiciary Committee just PASSED our bill to REIN IN BIG TECH This is A HUGE WIN for conservatives & WE THE PEOPLE
@ronnyjacksontx Ronny Jackson on x
Google, Facebook, YouTube, and others are GUILTY of suppressing free speech and censoring Republican voices. We need to hold them accountable and reign them in NOW!
@repstevechabot Rep. Steve Chabot on x
I think we need to be careful that we aren't restricting the ability of American companies to compete with China. Instead, our focus should be more on protecting American companies and consumers from the harmful activities emanating from the Communist Chinese government.
@senronjohnson Senator Ron Johnson on x
Big Tech is now censoring Brandy McFadden who was paralyzed after receiving a COVID vaccination. Why can't @Facebook handle her truth? Americans can handle the truth. Let them see and hear it. https://twitter.com/...
@repdanbishop Rep. Dan Bishop on x
Empowering bureaucrats and big government with control over Big Tech is not the answer. Rather than make matters worse, we need to #BreakUpBigTech in the cleanest way possible. My amendment to the Ending Platform Monopolies Act would have done just that. This is the way. https://…
@kellymakena Makena Kelly on x
Anyways here's my tweets in like 800 words summarizing everything, what's the deal with airline food, cya later do no contact me https://www.theverge.com/...
@reckless Nilay Patel on x
All of the big tech antitrust bills have made it out of committee after hours of debate that veered into the nonsensical. @kellymakena, a saint, sat through most of it. Her takeaways on what happened and what's next: https://www.theverge.com/...
@willoremus Will Oremus on x
The toughest of the bipartisan Big Tech antitrust bills before the House—the one that could lead to partial breakups of dominant internet platforms—just made it out of the House Judiciary Committee by *one vote,* 21-20.
@benedictevans Benedict Evans on x
If Apple said Spotify was free to charge direct if the app was sideloaded, that would not be an answer at all. To be competitive Spotify has to be in the default store that's pre-loaded on every device
@benedictevans Benedict Evans on x
People waste an enormous amount of energy talking about sideloading on iOS when it's not a mainstream consumer behaviour and not a viable route to market and therefore any sensible regulator will focus on Apple's rules in Apple's App Store
@willoremus Will Oremus on x
Remarkable that big tech has managed to advance the narrative that a suite of antitrust bills which emerged from a two-year deliberative process with half a dozen hearings, a 450-page committee report, and hard-won bipartisan support is somehow “rushed.” https://www.nytimes.com/.…
@tomwarren Tom Warren on x
there are plenty of legitimate reasons for Apple wanting to lock down iOS, but there are also plenty of legitimate reasons for not having a single company control what apps can and can't be run on a $1,000 device. I'm not sure how this story ends, but it's gonna be a ride
@matthewstoller Matt Stoller on x
Really astonishing. The members across the aisle are actually starting to cooperate on substantive issues. Congress is Congress'ing.
@mrddmia @mrddmia on x
Dear @Google, @Amazon, @Facebook, @Apple: You could've quietly kept your trillion-dollar monopolies. But you lost conservatives with your (woke) censoring, silencing, and even canceling. Now your #AntitrustAmnesty is ending. Worth it? Cheers, @The_IAP https://www.wsj.com/...
@jason_kint Jason Kint on x
You know what @adamkovac won't ever mention? That Google and Facebook bank about $75B, more than 60% of the US digital ad market, while Microsoft collects a few billion. https://twitter.com/...
@jmartnyt Jonathan Martin on x
You're telling me that House R leaders may defer to their lobbyist allies who work for big tech and not actually want to crack down ? “Some GOP lawmakers have blamed leadership-aligned lobbyists for working behind the scenes to tank the measures... https://www.politico.com/...
@quinnypig Corey Quinn on x
Expect Facebook to challenge on the grounds that it's really their data. https://twitter.com/...
@judiciarygop House Judiciary Gop on x
Why did @RepCicilline exempt Microsoft from his antitrust legislation? Is it because Microsoft wrote his bill? https://www.bloomberg.com/...
@drvolts David Roberts on x
The GOP is torn between its instinctive obeisance to big corporate money & the paranoid fantasy among its base that Big Tech is censoring it & is thus an Enemy. (You will scan the article in vain for any discussion of policy merits.) https://www.politico.com/...
@marshallk Marshall Kirkpatrick on x
Wow, Congress looks to mandate data portability and communication interoperability between big social networks, more than a decade after many early social web builders pushed for it https://www.techmeme.com/... History from @EliasBiz et al in 2010 https://techcrunch.com/...
@karlbode Karl Bode on x
most outlets spent the last two years insisting the GOP was serious about “antitrust and regulatory reform,” but that batshit hearing yesterday appears to have straightened them out some https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@repkenbuck Rep. Ken Buck on x
My colleague @mattgaetz is right. Big Tech would not be spending millions of dollars lobbying against these bills if they help them.
@jesselehrich Jesse Lehrich on x
.@RepJayapal has entered the chat: “[Facebook is no longer] simply trying to help people connect with friends & family. It has morphed into a monopoly power that harvests & monetizes our data for its own profit, for the purposes of spying on & destroying its rivals.” 🔥 https://tw…
@jim_jordan Rep. Jim Jordan on x
Big Tech's bad. Big Media's bad. Big Government's bad. Don't give them more power. Break them up.
@mattgaetz Matt Gaetz on x
Some Republicans we know & love will try to tell you our bipartisan anti-Tech bills help Big Tech. Big Tech opposes our bills. That's all you need to know. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@dealbook @dealbook on x
The committee's passage of the bills kicks off a much harder process, @ceciliakang notes. Eight Democratic lawmakers have asked Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has tremendous sway over when bills are taken up in the full House, to slow the process. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@repcohen Steve Cohen on x
Big Tech has accumulated more wealth and power than “robber barons.” It's our duty to rein in #BigTech and increase competition to preserve Main Street and individuals' choices. https://twitter.com/...
@houseinsession Billy House on x
This is apparently a reference to the controversy that erupted Wednesday during the mark-up of tech bills...read about it from Bloomberg: https://www.bloomberg.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@stevelohr Steve Lohr on x
Smart, quick take on the House Big Tech bills. @ShiraOvide w/ @ceciliakang https://www.nytimes.com/...
@repjayapal Rep. Pramila Jayapal on x
Big tech has gotten too big to care. By reasserting the power of Congress, these landmark bipartisan bills will rein in anti-competitive behavior, prevent monopolistic practices, and restore fairness and competition. https://www.politico.com/...
@rebeccamkern Rebecca Kern on x
The star of this 12-hour @HouseJudiciary hearing today? @Microsoft, which wasn't even the focus of the committee's investigation. We delve into debate if the $2 trillion company is covered by these antitrust bills from @annaedge4 @HouseInSession @business https://www.bloomberg.co…
@willoremus Will Oremus on x
Here's the line from the Republicans who are seeking to block the most substantive element of the (shakily) bipartisan Big Tech antitrust package. Will be interesting to see how the CA Dems—Lofgren, Swalwell, Correa—defend the choice to join them. https://twitter.com/...
@john1wu John Wu on x
1/ Regulation of Big Tech is coming. We don't know for sure what the outcome of this will be: we have to leave it to the legal experts to decide what happens next. 🧵 https://www.wsj.com/...
@willoremus Will Oremus on x
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Seattle, is calling out Lofgren, her fellow Democrat, for her pro-Big Tech stance on this antitrust bill. “Big Tech, Big Tech, Big Tech... Why are we not talking about small business?” https://twitter.com/...
@willoremus Will Oremus on x
Today's House antitrust committee hearing on the fifth, final, and strongest antitrust bill is absolutely fascinating—a rare example of bipartisan agreement *and* disagreement, with Dems and Rs on both sides of the question.
@sivavaid Dr. Siva Vaidhyanathan on x
I'be been saying for years that there is no chance that Congress succeeds in changing antitrust law. When you get past the “break up big tech” rhetoric there is no common ground, even among Democrats. This is why Facebook and Google don't fear them. https://www.nytimes.com/...

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