BATTLE OVER BIG TECH BEGINS.

The U.S. House Judiciary Committee's consideration of antitrust bills targeting big tech began Wednesday with bipartisan pledges to use legislation to break the hold that the largest companies have on the internet economy.

In its first action, the committee approved a bill revising the fees companies pay when they seek antitrust approval for mergers. It would increase fees for the biggest deals, and the money would provide additional funding for the Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department to pursue antitrust cases.

Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler cited the 16-month investigation that the panel's antitrust subcommittee conducted last year, which accused Apple Inc., Facebook Inc., Amazon.com Inc. and Alphabet Inc.'s Google of anticompetitive behaviour.

“Each bill is an essential part of a bipartisan plan to level the playing field for innovators, entrepreneurs and startups and to bring the benefits of increased innovation and choice to American consumers,” Nadler, a New York Democrat, said in his opening statement.

Last year's investigation was led by antitrust subcommittee Chair David Cicilline and ranking Republican Ken Buck, whose partnership has built remarkable bipartisan support for the six measures before the committee. Although the bills may have support to make it through the Judiciary Committee, it's not clear that all of them could pass the House. And the Senate presents an even bigger hurdle because most legislation needs at least 10 Republicans to become law.

Cicilline, a Rhode Island Democrat, described the bills as a “direct and measured response” to the subcommittee's investigation. He said that many of the businesses they questioned during that probe described how they feel “trapped” by the four big tech companies.

“Over and over, words like fear, bullying, and hardship, came up in interviews,” Cicilline said. “App developers, through third-party sellers and even large publishers reported being victims of predatory behaviour.”

Buck, a conservative Republican from Colorado, said the committee's legislative response represents “a scalpel, not a chainsaw, to deal with the most important aspects of antitrust reform.” He said giving more resources and support to the FTC and Justice Department would “give small businesses a fair shot against oligarchs like Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg.”

“These monopolists routinely use their gatekeeper power to crush competitors, harm innovation, distort and destroy the free market and silence conservatives,” Buck said.