Small Business Rising – a coalition of small business associations — is urging the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to prioritize reviving enforcement against monopoly harms to small businesses, instead of focusing efforts toward eliminating regulatory barriers. “The most significant threats to fair markets today stem not from regulation, but from the unchecked dominance of powerful corporations,” the coalition states in a letter submitted to the Commission signed by more than 20 small business associations.
We sat down with SBR partner Michael Tucker, Executive Director of Workplace Solutions Association, or WSA (formerly the Independent Office Products & Furniture Dealers Association), which represents 500 independent office and furniture supply companies across the United States. Michael shared why they advocate with the coalition and what policy solutions would help to level the playing field for the small businesses they represent.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 21, 2025) — In support for enforcement against predatory buying practices which have contributed to inflated costs across the American economy, more than one dozen groups in the Small Business Rising coalition released the following statement, applauding the Federal Trade Commission’s lawsuit targeting PepsiCo. for providing unfair pricing advantages to “a large, big box retailer,” reportedly Walmart according to multiple media sources.
With the news of the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) lawsuit against large wine and spirits distributor Southern Glazer’s for violating the Robinson-Patman Act (RPA) by using their market dominance to extract lower pricing from wholesalers, Small Business Rising coalition members applaud the reactivation of this important regulatory power for fair markets.
The Small Business Rising coalition and the Institute for Local Self-Reliance released the following statement in response to the Department of Justice (DOJ) Antitrust Division’s lawsuit against Visa for illegally punishing or threatening to punish merchants with higher fees if they try to use competing services to process debit card payments.
This holiday season, small businesses and their customers are urging Congress to support Main Street by reining in the outsized power of Big Tech.
Through in-store posters and flyers, and on social media, businesses are inviting their customers to contact their member of Congress and join the campaign for a level playing field.
Help spread the message:
The sweeping reforms would simplify and strengthen New York’s antimonopoly laws, and would expand what kinds of harmful conduct the law can address. Among other measures, the Twenty-First Century Antitrust Act would:
Lead to clear, bright-line rules prohibiting abusive and anti-competitive tactics by dominant corporations
Place New York at the cutting edge of combating monopolies and curbing corporate power by fundamentally redefining what constitutes dominance by a single firm
Allow lawsuits against corporations that act unilaterally to stifle competition — an expansion of current law which defines anticompetitive conduct as occurring only when two or more companies are collaborating or conspiring to restrain competition
***Statement***
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Virgil McDill, vmcdill@ilsr.org, 202.294.9187
WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 5, 2021) - Statement from Small Business Rising on the introduction of the Platform Competition and Opportunity Act of 2021, legislation that would set a high bar for acquisitions and mergers by Big Tech firms.
“We applaud the leadership of Senator Amy Klobuchar and Senator Tom Cotton on this legislation which will help to restore vitality to our digital markets and level the playing field.
“Right now, Big Tech’s stranglehold is killing America’s small, independent businesses. Anti-competitive mergers are one of the key ways that Amazon, Facebook, and Google have gained control over our digital markets and used that power to exploit small businesses through predatory terms and outrageous fees.
“America’s independent businesses and entrepreneurs cannot succeed in a world where the tech giants are allowed to remain all-powerful gatekeepers. Along with structural separation and nondiscrimination legislation, this bill is a key legislative step to ensure that independent businesses have a chance to compete and thrive.
“Our coalition, representing more than 150,000 independent businesses, urges Congress to move swiftly to restore competition, innovation, and fairness into our digital markets by passing the Platform Competition and Opportunity Act of 2021 and other anti-monopoly measures.”
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.
Gina Schaefer, owner of 13 ACE Hardware Stores in the DC area, and David Guernsey, CEO and Founder of Guernsey Incorporated, share why they believe it’s time for legislators to take action and rein in the power of Big Tech — before it’s too late.
Watch the videos:
***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.
Independent Business Groups Urge Swift Confirmation for Jonathan Kanter to the DOJ Antitrust Division
October 5, 2021
Small businesses need strong leaders at the DOJ — stand up to #BigTech.
Small Business Rising coalition partners, representing over 150,000 businesses across the country, submitted a letter to the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary expressing strong support of Jonathan Kanter’s nomination as Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division at the Department of Justice (DOJ). The letter urges Chair Durbin and Ranking Member Grassley to lead a swift confirmation process through the Judiciary Committee.
Mr. Kanter is an obvious choice to lead the DOJ’s Antitrust Division. His deep legal experience and longstanding record advocating for aggressive action make him an excellent choice to work alongside Lina Khan at the Federal Trade Commission to rein in corporations wielding monopoly power over their smaller competitors. Concentrated market power is the biggest threat facing independent businesses, which has taken a particular toll on businesses in rural communities and businesses owned by Black, Indigenous, people of color and women. With Jonathan Kanter at the DOJ, it will be a new day to restore enforcement of our country’s antitrust laws and fair competition for independent and small businesses.
Read the full letter here.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Virgil McDill, vmcdill@ilsr.org, 202.294.9187
The following statement was issued by Small Business Rising in response to Amazon’s recent emails to 3rd party sellers on its site offering to meet with them and claiming that the federal Big Tech bills could lead Amazon to take actions that could harm their businesses.
“When Amazon suspends a seller’s account or disrupts their business without cause or warning, the business owners can’t get anyone at Amazon on the phone and are routed to endless automated email loops while their business goes down the drain. So it’s pretty galling that Amazon suddenly has time for one-on-one calls.
“Small businesses urgently need Congress to pass these bills. Without this legislation, Amazon will continue to use its control over market access to prey on small businesses, saddling them with steep fees to reach their customers while stealing their best product ideas.
“Once again, Amazon is using its outsized market power to threaten and strong-arm small businesses in order to maintain its stranglehold over them. We need this legislation to level the playing field and rein in Amazon’s anticompetitive and bullying behavior”
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.
In Washington and at the local level, we are at a pivotal moment for small businesses. There has been an incredible shift in the number of federal policymakers and local communities that are thinking deeply about independent, small businessess as a key part of how we have a vibrant economy and healthy communities.
Listen to Stacy Mitchell’s conversation with Dan Tratensek of the North American Hardware and Paint Association, as she explains this historic moment.
On the Taking Care of Business podcast, Stacy distills the new set of antitrust bills the House Judiciary committee passed that would break up Amazon and other big tech companies; the mandate for protecting small businesses, farmers, and ranchers that the new FTC chair, Lina Khan, brings to the Federal Trade Commission; and President’s Biden’s groundbreaking executive order to reverse corporate concentration.
They also talked about local governments that are using American Rescue Plan funding to reverse course on how they approach local economic development.
Small business owners, using their political voices, have helped make this moment possible. We have come so far, but the next weeks and months will be critical for moving the House’s historic antitrust legislation to break up and regulate Amazon. Lend your voice by going to Small Business Rising, a coaltion of 25 independent business organizations representing more than 150,000 independent businesses owners.
You can listen to the podcast here.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Virgil McDill, vmcdill@ilsr.org, 202.294.9187
Small Business Rising Applauds White House Executive Order to Promote Competition
The coalition of 20+ business groups urges federal agencies to act swiftly to carry out the order and ensure independent businesses have the opportunity to compete.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 9, 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 the White House’s executive order aimed at reducing corporate concentration and expanding opportunity for independent businesses, farmers, workers, and consumers.
“Today’s executive order is another sign that federal policymakers are serious about restoring competition and leveling the playing field for independent businesses, and we applaud the Biden Administration for taking this important step forward.
“This executive order will help to reduce market concentration, stop monopoly abuses, expand opportunities for small businesses, and strengthen local economies.
“Importantly, the order directs the Department of Justice to strengthen antitrust enforcement and encourages the Federal Trade Commission to establish rules barring dominant internet platforms from exploiting independent businesses.
“The order also directs federal agencies to reduce concentration and promote competition through their procurement and spending decisions. It includes important provisions to address concentrated power in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries, and it directs the Department of Agriculture to level the playing field for farmers and ranchers, and dedicate funds to support local and regional food systems.
“Concentrated market power has long been the single biggest threat facing America’s small and independent businesses. Coming on the heels of landmark antitrust legislation that passed the House Judiciary Committee last month, it’s clear that policymakers at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue are finally intent on challenging corporate power.
“After decades of lax federal enforcement of our nation’s antitrust laws, we are heartened to see federal officials standing up for the independent businesses that are a vital part of our economy and our local communities.”
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.
