Washington, DC, June 22, 2011 –– In response to news reports that U.S. Senators Herb Kohl (D-WI) and Mike Lee (R-UT), the chairman and ranking member of the U.S. Senate Antitrust Subcommittee (respectively), requested that Google CEO Larry Page or Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt testify before their committee. Steve Pociask, President of the American Consumer Institute, made the following statement:
“ACI welcomes the news that U.S. Senators Kohl and Lee have asked Google to make its top leadership available for an antitrust oversight hearing. Google has a dominant market share in search and search advertising and it has been accused by many small businesses of harming competition. In addition, many have questioned their privacy practices, including possible attempts to identify school age children through their Doodle for Google program. A vibrant, competitive marketplace is essential to consumer welfare, and testimony from Google leadership will provide legislators with answers and a better understanding of the marketplace.
“A healthy and competitive Internet is vital to our nation’s economy and to the free flow of information. As the dominant provider of search and search advertising, Google functions as a key Internet gatekeeper. Because of this position of influence, Google CEO Larry Page should agree to provide information about their company’s practices and strategies to lawmakers and the American people.”
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About ACI
The American Consumer Institute (ACI) Center for Citizen Research is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational and research organization dedicated to empirical analysis of consumers’ economic welfare. For more information about the Institute, visit www.theamericanconsumer.org.