The new rules of Monopoly – By Leah Nylen (Politico) / Dec 27, 2021
Washington has spent decades playing from the same rulebook in the game of keeping dominant businesses from snuffing out the competition. But a new breed of antitrust enforcers say those rules are rigged against consumers — and in favor of Big Tech. They say it’s time to change the game.
The United States invented the concept of antitrust in the 1890s: laws designed to keep corporate titans from squashing their competition and saddling consumers with inflated prices.
But the realities of U.S. antitrust enforcement have evolved a lot in the past 40 years — and the modern world of monopoly is much different from the board game that has taught generations of Americans about concentrated wealth. Huge tech companies like Google, Facebook, Apple and Amazon occupy many of the squares, leaving their rivals scrambling for a foothold. For consumers, the price is often $0 — except for the hidden costs, like a loss of choice or privacy.
Now a new breed of antitrust activists say it’s time to rewrite the rules again. And some are questioning the whole premise of the game.
Unlike many of the hottest issues embroiling Washington, the antitrust debate doesn’t break down along neat partisan or ideological lines. Supporters of sweeping change include progressive Democrats like Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan, as well as conservative Republicans like Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley and Colorado Rep. Ken Buck, all of them facing resistance within their own parties.
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