Lawmakers in the U.S. have introduced a bill to help the news media negotiate with Google and Facebook.
(Reuters) – WashingtonOn Monday, a group of U.S. lawmakers from both parties released a new version of a bill that would make it easier for news organisations to negotiate with Google and Facebook as a group (NASDAQ:META).
A news release from the lawmakers said that the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act “removes legal barriers that make it hard for news organisations to negotiate together and get fair terms from gatekeeper platforms that regularly use news content without paying for its value.”
The group is made up of Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar and Republican Senator John Kennedy, who are both on the Judiciary Committee. Also in the group are Democratic Representative David Cicilline and Republican Representative Ken Buck, who are both on the House Judiciary Committee.
A previous version of the bill, which was introduced in March 2021, was opposed by the Computer & Communications Industry Association and NetChoice, which are trade groups for the technology industry. Both Facebook and Google are members of these groups.
The new version of the bill would cover news publishers with fewer than 1,500 full-time workers and news broadcasters who are not part of a network. According to the news release, it would let them work together to get better deals from Facebook, Google, and other big platforms.
The 2021 law would have applied to any print, broadcast, or digital news organisation with a dedicated editorial staff that published at least once a week.
