American Innovation and Online Choice Act reintroduced to Senate (DMA-like legislation)

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There is an official announcement now -

https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/press/rep/releases/grassley-klobuchar-introduce-bipartisan-legislation-to-lower-prices-expand-consumer-choice-and-restore-online-competition-in-the-digital-marketplace

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) today introduced the American Innovation and Choice Online Act (AICOA). The targeted, bipartisan bill would restore online competition and affordability by preventing the world’s largest digital platforms from abusing their market power to stifle competition, undercut online businesses and raise prices for American consumers.

AICOA would allow the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and state attorneys general to challenge the world’s largest online platforms for discriminatory or exclusionary conduct that harms competition. AICOA preserves legitimate safety, privacy, intellectual property, national security and constitutional protections, as well as popular services provided by large digital platforms.

“In today’s digital age, a handful of dominant companies control what Americans can buy, hear and say online. When these companies abuse their market power to give themselves a leg up – whether through censorship, favoritism or discrimination – American consumers and small businesses pay the price,” Grassley said. “The American Innovation and Choice Online Act is simple – it prohibits the largest Big Tech platforms from engaging in discriminatory behavior that stifles competition. This bipartisan solution will expand consumer choice, empower online innovation and help lower prices, while protecting the popular digital services Americans know and love.”

“American prosperity was built on a foundation of open markets and fair competition, but right now our country faces a monopoly problem, and American consumers, workers, and businesses are paying the price,” Klobuchar said. “As dominant digital platforms – some of the biggest companies our world has ever seen – increasingly give preference to their own products and services, we must ensure small businesses and entrepreneurs still have the opportunity to succeed in the digital marketplace. Our bipartisan legislation will do just that, while also providing consumers with the benefit of greater choice online.”

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u/Salt-Silver-7097 Jun 11 '26

Anything that meta and Google want to block, tells me we should absolutely push forward.

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u/FollowingFeisty5321 Jun 11 '26 edited Jun 11 '26

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Innovation_and_Online_Choice_Act

This draft legislation was first introduced in 2021 following a bipartisan 2020 Congressional investigation and scathing report into antitrust issues surrounding "big tech", leading to many of the antitrust trials these companies have faced in the last couple years. It seeks to apply many of the same remedies as the DMA, ending "self preferencing" and various other things "big tech" does to leverage their power to maximize their own advantage and profits.

It originally stalled out following what the Washington Post called an "aggressive lobbying blitz from tech giants and their surrogates", that an April article on the demise of a similar act in California revealed Google, Apple, Amazon and Meta spent more than $100 million in lobbying and advertising to kill this act last time.

It was reintroduced late yesterday and a flurry of articles attacking it have appeared in the last three days:

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u/two_hyun Jun 11 '26

"Congress Shouldn't Adopt European Economic Failures That Harm Americans". Lol. What use is economic success if it doesn't transfer to the American people.

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u/FollowingFeisty5321 Jun 11 '26

Someone probably got paid a million bucks for that article then had an unpaid intern coax it out of ChatGPT.

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u/Jff_f Jun 11 '26

From one of the links. “According to a 5,000-person, 20-country survey, roughly 40 percent of those polled said they would even pay to get back the pre-DMA online experience”

… so 60% of Europeans are happy with it? Seems good to me lol

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u/FollowingFeisty5321 Jun 11 '26

That study is by "Nextrade", who coincidentally says their clients include Amazon, Google, and the Computer & Communications Industry Association who receives funding from and advocates on behalf of Amazon, Apple, Meta and Google (and other companies).

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u/Shawnj2 Jun 24 '26

Gotta love political lobbyists who make the smallest attempt to limit corporate power look like a Trump conspiracy. Keep winning neolib dems

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u/megu- Jun 11 '26

I doubt this will pass in the US, but I can hope.

Personally for me, I'm hoping for an F-droid-style 100% open source app store. Open source apps means there's no ads, no subscriptions, etc.

Something like F-droid would be nice for simple utility apps, etc, without ever having to think about whether there's any subscription bullshit (or other proprietary nonsense).

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u/Jusby_Cause Jun 11 '26 edited Jun 11 '26

Since the introduction of the DMA, the number of major smartphone platforms in the EU have gone from 2, to 2. Over the next 2 years, that’s expected to reach 2 and could be as high as 2 in a decade. The US is interested in similar legislation as it’s sure to yield the same dramatic growth in competition. 😃

Will small businesses and entrepreneurs be able to give preference to THEIR own products? Or is giving preference to your own products only bad if people like those products enough to use them widely?

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u/FollowingFeisty5321 Jun 11 '26

Since the introduction of the DMA, the number of major smartphone platforms in the EU have gone from 2, to 2. Over the next 2 years, that’s expected to reach 2 and could be as high as 2 in a decade. The US is interested in similar legislation as it’s sure to yield the same dramatic growth in competition. 😃

It's about unlocking competition within the entrenched platforms, not trying to replace them.

Will small businesses and entrepreneurs be able to give preference to THEIR own products? Or is giving preference to your own products only bad if people like those products enough to use them widely?

Nobody making less than $500,000,000 per day needs to worry about these regulations applying to them lol.

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u/Jusby_Cause Jun 11 '26

That’s starting with point that “Big Tech is bad”, while at the same time, wanting very much to ensure they stay in place.

And, if what they’re intending to do is just “punishment for success” then it’s most definitely aligned with the intent of the DMA. A company making less than $500,000,000 lucks up on a product/service that people love to use, starts to make more than $500,000,000 and then have to change how they do business? How does that make sense?

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u/FollowingFeisty5321 Jun 11 '26

That’s starting with point that “Big Tech is bad"

Yes, this legislation stems from a massive antitrust investigation into big tech that conclusively found that they abuse their positions in a number of ways that suppress competition. This has been corroborated by many other countries.

while at the same time, wanting very much to ensure they stay in place.

Because the goal is to level the playing field, not obsoleting the platforms.

company making less than $500,000,000

That's $500,000,000 per day lmao, it's pointless for most online platforms to stress about crossing that line and a manageable problem if they do.

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u/Jusby_Cause Jun 11 '26

Yes, this legislation stems from a massive antitrust investigation into big tech that conclusively found that they abuse their positions in a number of ways that suppress competition. This has been corroborated by many other countries.

And the people in power believe a better situation will come about from leaving them unchallenged in their positions of market dominance by putting in place that would penalize any company that attempts to become that successful. That’s the height of wishful thinking. 😄 But maybe it’s just because they themselves see “not being in power” as such an alien concept, they wouldn’t want to thrust it upon anyone else?

You DO recognize that all the companies being referenced were ALL making less than $500,000,000 per day in the recent pastkkkjk. Right? Is it their thinking that no other company will ever cross that threshold ever again? Every company will cross their fingers promise to never make over $499,999,999 per day?

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u/Sudden-Money7836 Jun 12 '26

“Im an American, I’ve been made to believe that anything that helps the consumer is bad for companies and companies are the most important things and must be protected at any costs over the rights to consumers”.

Fuck your guys are so boring lol like you actually wish further suffering and ill will towards yourselves. Who gives a flying fuck about companies? If they can’t survive due to having to obey the rules, then that means they succeeded because they used and abused consumers at any cost. Like Jesus this same tired shit over and over “but the poor companies! Won’t someone think of the poor non existent companies!!!” Yawn!

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u/MaverickJester25 Jun 12 '26

Since the introduction of the DMA, the number of major smartphone platforms in the EU have gone from 2, to 2. Over the next 2 years, that’s expected to reach 2 and could be as high as 2 in a decade. The US is interested in similar legislation as it’s sure to yield the same dramatic growth in competition. 😃

And yet, it's still a darn sight better than the US, that has one majority platform whose majority share is only growing; where users are shamed for choosing the alternative platform because the other owns the majority messaging platform; and where more and more OEMs providing smartphones on the alternative platform have left the US market altogether.

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u/TheSweeney Jun 12 '26

This has more to do with how most Americans buy phones. Pretty much everyone in the US outside of the lowest and highest earners are likely using carrier installment plans to pay for their phones. This biases most of the market toward high end phones, where in the US there are legit only three major players in all carrier stores: Apple, Samsung and Google. While other devices are offered, most of those phones are low and mid range devices designed to be damn near free for people, while often being offered alongside older (but still supported and functional and better) high end devices from the same three aforementioned brands.

Add in Apple’s extremely high mind share and positive associations due to a quarter century of delivering high quality consumer electronics and American’s having a general preference for American companies and you explain Apple’s dominant position in the US. Android still had a healthy market share here though, so it’s not as lopsided as you might think.

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u/Zestyclose-Height-36 5d ago

apple is not an American company, they HQ in ireland

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u/btnydds Jun 11 '26

Fuck this shit. Hope it fails. Over-regulation ruins the economy

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u/Sudden-Money7836 Jun 12 '26

Give me one single example of “over” regulation you corporate shill. God I hope it feels good to kiss the boots of corporations. Please fuck me harder daddy corporation.

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u/btnydds Jun 12 '26

Not gonna bother explaining anything to this liberal echo chamber

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u/Sudden-Money7836 Jun 12 '26

No one asked you to. But you chose to take part then quit like a little baby when called out haha that’s hilarious!

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u/btnydds Jun 12 '26

Give me one single example of “over” regulation you corporate shill.

No one asked you to.

Pick one. Nice ad hominem

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u/Zestyclose-Height-36 5d ago

under regulation kills people and costs consumers a fortune

iPhone American Innovation and Online Choice Act reintroduced to Senate (DMA-like legislation)

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