Yesterday, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce EVP Neil Bradley sent a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee opposing the latest version of the JCPA, stating, “the current legislation moves well beyond a grant of immunity from antitrust for publishers.” 

Bradley warns that the JCPA targets “certain companies based on market capitalization and number of users. Any regulatory structure established by Congress should apply broadly across an industry or sector rather than imposing compensation requirements only on certain companies based on arbitrary thresholds.”

Furthermore, Bradley notes that while a “basic function of the Internet should not trigger compensation,” the JCPA “requires compensation for merely coming across content as part of the technical process of ‘crawling’ or determining what information exists online.”

The Chamber joins a growing chorus of opposition to the latest version of the JCPA, which includes a letter from CCIA Vice President of Federal Affairs Joshua Rogin. Furthermore, a coalition of public interest, consumer advocacy, and civil society groups signed a joint letter to Senate leadership opposing the JCPA yesterday. 

Click here to read the full letter from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and click here and here for other important reads about JCPA.