Attorney General Josh Stein Calls for Stronger Federal Antitrust Protections

For Immediate Release: Monday, September 20, 2021

Contact: Nazneen Ahmed (919) 716-0060

(RALEIGH) Attorney General Josh Stein today urged federal lawmakers to strengthen and improve several pieces of legislation currently in Congress that would modernize federal antitrust laws.

“I’m grateful to Congress for taking a close look at our antitrust laws and working to improve them to better protect consumers,” said Attorney General Stein. “No company in any industry should get so powerful or so big that they harm competition and innovation, and ultimately, consumers. I urge Congress to finish the job on these important bills.”

Attorney General Stein joined a coalition of 32 attorneys general in a letter recommending provisions that would facilitate competition and innovation and would further protect consumers from unlawful and irresponsible mergers and business practices. The attorneys general note that these changes are necessary as a result of technological innovations, less competition in important business sectors, and undue judicial skepticism towards robust antitrust enforcement.

Further, the attorneys general urge Congress to include language that would confirm that states and the federal government can equally enforce federal antitrust law and challenge anticompetitive mergers and other business practices.

Antitrust-related bills moving through Congress include continued consideration of the Ending Platform Monopolies Act, the American Choice and Innovation Online Act, the Platform Competition and Opportunity Act, the Augmenting Compatibility and Competition by Enabling Service Switching (“ACCESS”) Act, the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act, and the State Antitrust Enforcement Venue Act.

Attorney General Stein was joined in sending today’s letter by the Attorneys General of Colorado, Nebraska, New York, Tennessee, California, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.

A copy of the brief is available here.

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