A bipartisan group of US senators and members of Congress have released a new version of a bill that aims to make it easier for news organizations to negotiate with companies like Google and Meta.
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The lawmakers said in a statement that the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act would remove “legal obstacles to news organizations’ ability to negotiate collectively and secure fair terms from gatekeeper platforms that regularly access news content without paying for its value.”
The legislation would, for instance, offer eligible digital publishers “limited safe harbor from federal and state antitrust laws.”
The bill has the support of Senate Judiciary Committee members Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and John Kennedy (R-LA), as well as House Judiciary Committee members David Cicilline (D-RI) and Ken Buck (D-CO). The committee chairs, Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), have also expressed their support.
A previous version of the bill was introduced last year, but it did not gain traction. The latest attempt would allow publishers with fewer than 1,500 full-time employees and non-network news broadcasters to collectively negotiate access to their news content with certain platforms.
If negotiations come to a halt, publishers would be able to request arbitration, according to the proposed legislation.
The bill has the support of Senate Judiciary Committee members Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and John Kennedy (R-LA), as well as House Judiciary Committee members David Cicilline (D-RI) and Ken Buck (D-CO). The committee chairs, Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), have also expressed their support.
A previous version of the bill was introduced last year, but it did not gain traction. The latest attempt would allow publishers with fewer than 1,500 full-time employees and non-network news broadcasters to collectively negotiate access to their news content with certain platforms.
If negotiations come to a halt, publishers would be able to request arbitration, according to the proposed legislation.
Other countries have considered ways to compensate publishers for featuring their news on Google and Meta. The Australian Parliament passed legislation early last year requiring Google and Meta to pay publishers for using their news. Similar legislation has been introduced by Canada’s ruling Liberal Party.
