Congressional Subcommittee Takes Aim at Big Tech Small Businesses
WASHINGTON, DC (October 6, 2020) Jake Ward, President of the Connected Commerce Council (3C), responded to the House Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Antitrust’s Big Tech Report.
“It is clear that Rep. David Cicilline and House Democrats do not understand the extraordinary value that so-called “Big Tech” digital platforms deliver to our economy, and most importantly, to small businesses during the COVID-19 recession.”
“Amid a global pandemic that has cost American lives, decimated the U.S. economy, and disrupted our way of life, small business tools and services made by America’s leading technology companies are helping millions of Main Street businesses adapt and survive. The Digital Safety Net is working, but even so, our economy is precarious. Congress should be working on expanding access to digital tools and supporting small businesses when they need it most, not attacking Big Tech and pulling the Digital Safety Net out from under our communities’ economic core.”
“Rep. Cicilline’s recommendation that Congress revive Depression-era legislation like “Glass Steagall for the internet,” which would regulate digital platforms like railroads or cable companies and apply draconian rules on how American companies can operate, innovate and grow, is misguided. This legislation would increase costs and instability for small businesses at the worst possible time.”
A recent 3C study found that small businesses that embrace digital tools and use them often have generated four times the revenue in 2020 than those that don’t. For sellers and retailers, online marketplaces provide more than $145 billion in annual value to small businesses.
3C’s full response to the report can be found here.
