U.S. Lawmakers Seek Information From Big Tech Competitors in Antitrust Probe

By Ryan Tracy and John D. McKinnon 

WASHINGTON -- The House Judiciary Committee is seeking information from competitors to large technology firms as it probes whether they have abused their market power, according to people familiar with the matter.

Letters sent to the competitors follow detailed document requests sent Friday to Amazon.com Inc., Facebook Inc., Apple Inc. and Google parent Alphabet Inc.

Representatives of lawmakers on the committee either declined to comment or didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

The companies didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. In response to the House probe, the four firms have said they are willing to work with authorities and touted the benefits their products provide to consumers.

How many additional letters the committee sent and what information the letters seek hasn't yet been made public. Information from companies that compete with the tech giants could be helpful to lawmakers in understanding the markets in which the tech giants operate, and the effect of the tech giants' business practices.

Antitrust regulators at the Justice Department, the Federal Trade Commission and states are also probing the big technology companies' practices, as are regulators in Europe and other countries. Officials in those probes have also often sought to learn from the tech giants' competitors through meetings and document requests.

Though the House panel can't take enforcement actions against the companies, it can find facts and hold hearings, which could increase political pressure on regulators to act. Among other things, lawmakers Friday sought access to reams of communications from the tech giants' top executives.

Top officials from the Justice Department and FTC are set to testify Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee, where they are likely to face questions about their probes as well as the two agencies' working relationship, which appears to have frayed in recent months.

Write to Ryan Tracy at [e-mail] and John D. McKinnon at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 17, 2019 11:43 ET (15:43 GMT)

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