The Journalism Competition and Preservation Act revealed by US lawmakers will make it easier for news organisations to collectively negotiate with tech giants like Google and Facebook, according to a report from Reuters.
The bipartisan bill is aimed at making it easier for news media to “negotiate collectively and secure fair terms from gatekeeper platforms that regularly access news content without paying for its value,” according to a news release from the lawmakers.
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An earlier version of the legislation was first introduced in March 2021. However, technology industry trade groups Computer & Communications Industry Association and NetChoice were opposed to it. Google and Meta are part of the two trade groups.
In its new iteration, the bill will cover news organisations which have fewer than 1,500 full-time employees. According to the news release, smaller organisations will be able to band together to ‘win’ better deals from the likes of Google and Facebook.
The earlier version of the bill had provisions that would have brought any news organisations, print, broadcast or even digital under the ambit of the law, as long as they had a dedicated editorial staff that reported the news on a weekly basis.
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The updated version was introduced by Democratic senator Amy Kolbuchar and Republican senator John Kennedy who are both members of the Judiciary Committee as well as House Judiciary Committee members Democrat David Cicilline and Republican Ken Buck.
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Congress has been active in legislating new sets of rules in an attempt to rein in tech companies that have been running amok for the better half of a decade. Most significantly, the American Innovation and Choice Online Act would make tech companies across the country sever ties between their marketing tools from their tech aspects.
