***Statement***
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Virgil McDill, vmcdill@ilsr.org, 202.294.9187
WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 14, 2021) - The following statement was issued today by Small Business Rising, a coalition of over twenty national and local associations representing over 150,000 small and independent businesses, in response to legislation released today in the United States Senate aimed at addressing the concentrated corporate power of the Big Tech companies.
“We applaud Senator Klobuchar’s leadership on antitrust issues and her focus on the ways America’s monopoly problem negatively affects small businesses across the country. The legislation released today by Senator Klobuchar and Senator Grassley, along with a bipartisan group of co-sponsors, will move this conversation forward and ensure that Washington’s recent focus on antitrust issues continues.
“Concentrated market power remains the single biggest threat facing independent, small businesses. America’s small businesses are the backbone of our local economies and our local communities — and, yet, every day we lose more independent businesses because of the abusive and anti-competitive tactics of monopolistic corporations like Amazon.
“We look forward to working with Senator Klobuchar and Senator Grassley to strengthen key parts of this legislation, and ensure the Senate adopts structural separation legislation, along the lines that passed in the House Judiciary Committee, to remove the underlying conflicts of interest and incentives that give rise to their anti-competitive behavior in the first place.”
Comment from Douglas Mrdeza
CEO and Founder, Top Shelf Brands, and member of Small Business Rising
“As a third-party seller on Amazon’s platform, I experienced the hardship and pain that comes when Amazon engages in anticompetitive practices, from stealing trade secrets to engaging in predatory pricing. After experiencing these tactics first-hand, I’m convinced that structural separation must be part of any legislative solution aimed at Amazon. The company’s ‘blending’ of its various lines of business lies at the root of all the problems small businesses have with Amazon, and only breaking these businesses apart and making them stand and compete on their own will address the problem.
“As I saw first-hand, Amazon presents itself as a partner, but in reality, it’s a competitor that steals proprietary information and uses it to put third-party sellers out of business. This bipartisan Senate legislation is a welcome first step. Our Small Business Rising coalition looks forward to working with the Judiciary Committee on the legislation we need to ensure small businesses are allowed to compete online.”
About Small Business Rising
Small Business Rising is a coalition of over twenty national and local associations representing over 150,000 small and independent businesses from all corners of the country, united around the goals of reining in monopoly power and urging policymakers to build an economy that is more prosperous, equitable, and innovative.