FairSearch.org Statement on Sens. Kohl, Lee, Blumenthal on Google Antitrust Review

The following is a statement from FairSearch.org following calls in the last week for Congressional scrutiny of Google by Sens. Herb Kohl, Mike Lee, and Richard Blumenthal:

FairSearch.org is working to promote competition, transparency and innovation in online search. We believe that Internet users should pick winners and losers – not search engines. Our members have been passionate advocates for competition in the travel search vertical, a dynamic space that has benefitted consumers by, among other things, putting pressure on airlines to keep prices low.

Senate Antitrust Subcommittee Chairman Herb Kohl (D-WI) and Ranking Member Mike Lee (R-UT) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) have demonstrated great vision and leadership in the past week by calling for Congressional scrutiny of Google’s dominance of online search and allegations that it has abused that dominance to advantage its own services and harm competition.

Congress is right to investigate these issues and examine the threats that Google’s unchecked dominance poses to the Internet ecosystem. As Sen. Lee stated in his letter to Chairman Kohl, “Enforcement of the antitrust laws is especially important for sectors in which the United States has been a leader, such as the e-commerce and online advertising industries.” The proper enforcement of antitrust laws is a critical linchpin in the Internet’s continued role as a driving force behind the U.S. economy.

Google’s proposed acquisition of ITA Software, as Sen. Lee noted, “could potentially provide Google with the ability to control the travel search vertical market.” We believe the American consumer deserves a better deal than that. FairSearch is encouraged that Senators Kohl, Lee and Blumenthal agree that Google’s attempts to expand its dominance through acquisitions bear close examination.