Small Business Group Speaks Out On Congressional Tech Probe

Small businesses are raising concerns over a congressional probe of potential anticompetitive practices in the tech sector, a press release revealed Wednesday (June 12).

The Connected Commerce Council (3C), a small business advocacy group, has sent a letter to the House Judiciary Committee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law requesting that Congress consider the importance of technology giants including Facebook, Amazon and Google in the small business community.

“Digital tools and services developed by Facebook, Amazon and Google provide small businesses with an opportunity to succeed,” said Jake Ward, president of 3C, in a statement. “When considering the role of large tech companies in the market, it is essential Members of Congress think about small businesses’ deep connection to these companies.

“This market is interconnected and big companies power growing companies to compete and win,” he added.

The group said it will provide the subcommittee with analysis it conducted of the role that large technology conglomerates play in promoting the success of small businesses in the U.S. Twenty-four small business members of 3C across 19 states went to Washington, D.C. to meet with members of Congress and discuss the topic, the announcement said.

Earlier this month reports in Reuters noted the U.S. Department of Justice is preparing to launch an antitrust investigation into Google after the European Commission fined the company billions of dollars over what the watchdog deemed were anticompetitive practices.

Department of Justice Antitrust Division Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim spoke earlier this week during a conference noting that the regulator’s blueprint for addressing anticompetitive practices within other industries, including the telecommunications and energy and gas sectors, could be applied to the big tech market as well.

Previous reports also revealed that the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission have reportedly agreed to split oversight of Google and Facebook.