As Congress returns from the July Fourth recess, it is worth recapping what experts have said about AICOA’s negative impacts on U.S. national security, privacy, content moderation, and consumer welfare, including how the recently revised AICOA solves none of these problems yet carves out big telcos and banks. 

Must reads:

1) More Economic And National Security Officials Speak Out Against Harmful Anti-Tech Bills—A group of former national security and economic officials sent a letter to Republican congressional leaders warning that AICOA and the Open Markets Act could weaken America’s national security.

2) Academics Refute Rep. Cicilline’s AICOA Defense—A group of distinguished law and technology academics sent a letter to Democratic Senators, warning that “presuming that AICOA is drafted precisely enough to preclude attacks on content moderation ignores multiple, loud warnings that future politically motivated enforcers (and judges) will seize on. This is a risky gamble indeed​.”

3) U.S. Chamber of Commerce: Anti-tech Bills Will “Sap Our Economy’s Potential For Growth And Innovation”—Sean Heather, Senior Vice President of International Regulatory Affairs & Antitrust at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, warned the pending anti-tech bills outlaw practices “routinely used today” across “every industry,” and “embolden a government-knows-best approach to managing our economy.”

4) Expert Commentary On Sen. Klobuchar’s Radical Antitrust Bill—Read the widespread criticism of Sen. Klobuchar’s radical antitrust bill from a collection of left-leaning experts, right-leaning experts, groups representing small business and entrepreneurs, business and industry groups, and antitrust and tech policy experts.

5) Senator Klobuchar’s Antitrust Bill Version 3.0 Carves Out Telcos and Banks; Original Flaws Remain—Sen. Klobuchar’s revised AICOA recognizes the original bill’s numerous problems, as raised by a bipartisan group of 13 senators during January’s Senate Judiciary Committee markup, but solves none of them while carving out big telecommunications, banks, and credit card companies.