Experts Available: Tech Industry Antitrust Bills

This week, the House Judiciary Committee advanced six antitrust bills aimed at curbing the power and influence of the biggest tech companies in the country. For journalists covering the bills, the following researchers are available to provide comments and analysis:

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
SMcGregor.jpg

McGregor is an assistant professor at the School of Journalism and Media, and a senior researcher with the Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life. Her research addresses the role of social media and their data in political processes, with a focus on political communication, journalism, public opinion, and gender.

 

Quote: “Americans disagree on many things, but one area of agreement is that large technology companies have too much power. It will be hard to reach bipartisan solutions to these problems, but a careful consideration of the outsized role these companies play in our society is long overdue.”

University of Washington-Seattle Campus
Margaret O'Mara

Margaret O’Mara is the Howard & Frances Keller Endowed Professor of History. She writes and teaches about the growth of the high-tech economy, the history of U.S. politics, and the connections between the two.

 

Quote: "Despite its techno-libertarian image, the tech industry has had close political ties for decades and remarkable success in getting what it wants, and the lightly regulated online economy we have today is a product of that. What happens next will depend on many things. But this week marks the end of Washington’s great love affair with tech, one that helped make these companies’ bigness possible in the first place.” (Adapted from her NYT column)

Florida State University

Rohlinger is a professor of sociology and a Director of Research. Her research focuses on politics, polarization, and political participation in the digital age. 

 

Quote: “Liberals and conservatives alike have expressed concerns over the powers of Big Tech. So, politically, it makes a lot of sense for House Democrats to offer Republicans some legislation on which they might agree. At the end of the day, politicians on both sides need to take home some wins to their constituents.”