Mar 19, 2020 - Technology

Coronavirus will delay lawmakers' tech antitrust investigation

Margaret Harding McGill

A photo of House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee Chairman David Cicilline. — Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.). Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images.

The spread of the coronavirus will delay a House antitrust investigation into Big Tech and online markets, the Democrat leading the probe said Thursday.

Driving the news: Rep. David Cicilline, who chairs the House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee, said the public health crisis will push back a bipartisan report detailing the investigation's findings, originally set for release at the end of this month.

"The most important thing right now is ensuring that the American people have the resources they need to get through this outbreak," Cicilline said in a statement. "The subcommittee will get this investigation done the right way, and if that means taking longer than we planned, that’s what we’ll do.”
A subcommittee spokesperson declined to say if there's a new target date for delivering the report.

The big picture: The Hill investigation is one of several at the federal and state level probing the power of the major platforms.

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Coronavirus will delay lawmakers' tech antitrust investigation

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