July 14, 2021
Small technology companies commend the Biden Administration’s Executive Order (EO) on Promoting Competition in the American economy, while others say the measures are more focused on consumer businesses and do not do enough to address the business-to-business market.
The EO contains steps to be taken against “big tech,” including greater scrutiny of mergers, which encourages the FTC to establish rules for monitoring and accumulating data, and the requirement that the FTC establish rules to put an end to unfair competition practices in internet marketplaces.
Forrester principal analyst Lee Sustar agreed that big tech might be targeted, saying there is growing concern among enterprises that the big cloud providers “are creating vendor concentration risk” for suppliers.
While the order appears to be more focused on consumers, companies want continued competition for prices and services as the transition to the cloud gains traction.
Meanwhile, small technology companies cheered the deal’s potential, as the contract suggests that the federal government is scrutinizing mergers more closely and reviewing how much personal data these companies can collect and how they use that data.
Kyle Wiens, CEO of iFixit, an online repair community and parts retailer, is also excited about the White House move.
“Small businesses are the lifeblood of the American economy, but big tech has done everything they can to drive small repair businesses out of the market,” he said. “This is a huge step by the Biden administration to protect local businesses and consumers that are being trampled.”
For more information, read the original story in TechRepublic.
