Issue Of The Week: Anticipating A New Antitrust Era
Surf on over to CongressDaily's TechCentral for a new "Issue of the Week." Here's a taste:
High-tech, telecommunications and media companies can expect increased antitrust scrutiny in President-elect Barack Obama's administration after eight years of what some believe has been a hands-off approach to marketplace competition within the Justice Department, the FCC and to some extent the FTC. The Democratic Illinois senator made ensuring competitive markets part of his campaign platform, which stated the United States needs "a business and regulatory landscape in which entrepreneurs and small businesses can thrive, start-ups can launch, and all enterprises can compete effectively while investors and consumers are protected against bad actors that cross the line."
Obama pledged to step up review of mergers and stop or restructure mergers that are likely to harm consumers while clearing those that do not pose such risks. According to a campaign position paper, Obama will strengthen antitrust authorities' competition advocacy programs to make certain that special interests do not use regulation to insulate themselves from the competitive process. He pledged to boost competition advocacy domestically and internationally and take steps to ensure that antitrust law is not used to interfere with competition or undermine efficiency to the detriment of U.S. consumers and businesses. Obama has said he will improve the administration of those laws in the United States and work with foreign counterparts to change their unsound laws and avoid needless duplication in enforcement.
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