Ex-FCC Aide Hoffman Calls for Regulation of Tech Companies
Congress, federal agencies and the courts should act to rein in “Big Tech” before broadcast media and other industries and institutions are “damaged beyond recognition or repair,” wrote former FCC aide Adonis Hoffman in an op-ed Thursday for The Hill, which is owned by broadcaster Nexstar. While lawmakers and regulators “dither,” the large tech companies “that control access to customers, paychecks and audiences continue to expand their reach without meaningful restraint.”
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"Every prior industrial revolution required new rules to preserve competition, accountability and trust,” Hoffman wrote. “Digital markets require the same response, even if harms appear less visible and more personal.”
He also said tech companies should be treated differently because they move faster than regulators can act, and control "visibility": “When access to customers depends on ranking systems, search results, app store placement, or marketplace rules, success no longer flows primarily from merit but from compliance,” Hoffman wrote. “Whether Washington will act prudently before meaningful markets, local businesses and legacy institutions are damaged beyond recognition or repair remains to be seen.”