Broadcasters Urge Senate Vote on Journalism Bill During Lame Duck
Fifty state and territorial broadcasters' associations urged Senate leaders to bring up the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (S-673) for a floor vote during the lame-duck session. The measure, which the Senate Judiciary Committee cleared in September (see 2209220077), would…
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create a limited antitrust exemption to allow news publishers to collectively bargain with tech platforms for the use of their content. The House Judiciary Committee hasn't voted on companion HR-1735. "We understand that there is precious little legislative time left on the Senate calendar before the end of" this Congress "and that there are a number of competing legislative priorities," the groups said in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., released Tuesday. "However," S-673 "is urgently needed by local broadcasters and other news publishers so that they can continue to serve local communities around the country. Therefore, whether on its own or with a package of other legislation addressing other aspects of Big Tech market dominance, we urge you to bring this bipartisan bill before the full Senate before the end of the year." Broadcasters "provide an invaluable resource to local communities around the country," but "the major tech behemoths are threatening the survival of local broadcasters and other news publishers throughout American communities," the broadcasters said: "These behemoths have grown to massive sizes, and have gained enormous market power. They have upended the advertising marketplace and, in many cases, have devised anticompetitive practices to protect it." S-673 "is an urgently needed first step toward countering Big Tech’s market dominance," the groups said.