Bipartisan anti-Big Tech bills that are gaining traction in Congress are not a priority for voters around the country, according to new polls released by the tech industry.
Regulating tech companies such as Facebook, Google, Amazon, and Apple is at the bottom of the list in terms of voter priorities, according to thousands of voters polled by tech industry associations Chamber of Progress and NetChoice.
The polls show that although voters are strongly in support of some tech regulations, such as laws that will ensure privacy and data security online, along with free speech, they do not prioritize regulating app store rules or stopping tech giants from self-preferencing their own products and services.
The Senate Judiciary Committee will begin debate Thursday on two bipartisan tech regulation bills, one focused on reducing restrictions and burdens imposed by Google’s and Apple’s smartphone app stores and another that would forbid dominant online platforms from recommending or boosting their own products and services.
The tech industry-supported polls, shared exclusively with the Washington Examiner, suggest the two Senate bills are not top-of-mind for voters as they consider whom to support in the 2022 midterm elections.
“A DC Beltway bubble exists when it comes to these app store and self-preferencing bills that are mostly just important to smaller companies and rivals,” said Adam Kovacevich, CEO of Chamber of Progress, an advocacy group backed by Big Tech companies such as Amazon, Facebook, and Google.
“There’s no evidence of broad support among voters for these bills and what the consumer benefits will be versus the benefits accrued by smaller companies who compete with Big Tech, such as Spotify, Match, and Epic,” he added.
BREAKING UP BIG TECH WOULD ADDRESS CONSERVATIVE FEARS OF BIAS, TOP DEMOCRAT SAYS
Instead of tech regulations, voters are most concerned about the economy and inflation, the coronavirus pandemic, healthcare affordability, and crime and public safety, according to the two polls conducted.
Chamber of Progress polled 4,800 registered voters in Arizona, California, Connecticut, Georgia, Minnesota, and North Carolina last November regarding their views on political priorities, with a focus on tech regulations.
In addition, NetChoice, an advocacy group that represents companies, such as Amazon and Google, that oppose government regulation of online platforms, polled almost 3,900 registered voters in 19 states between Jan. 14-17 regarding their views on regulating the tech giants.
The industry associations say the bills being pushed in the Senate this week are not important to most voters but have instead been given priority due to politicians in Washington buckling to pressure placed on them by recent Big Tech scandals.
“We know there’s support among voters for tech regulations, but the details matter,” said Kovacevich.
“Politicians shouldn’t take general anxiety for Big Tech as a license to enact policies that could have negative effects on consumers,” he added.
However, the NetChoice poll did show that 47% of voters support new regulations on online services such as Amazon Prime, Google Search, and the Apple App Store, significantly more than the 26% who oppose such regulations.
Supporters of the bipartisan tech legislation that is gaining momentum in Congress say that the tech bills being considered would result in a better consumer experience because certain online services and apps will become cheaper and Google searches, Apple’s App Store, and Amazon’s marketplace will offer more diverse options.
Furthermore, many of the bills’ key sponsors in Congress, including Sens. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, and Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican, say that the tech companies are trying to whip up opposition to tech legislation in unfair ways by misinforming voters and businesses on the effects of the bills.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“It’s a disingenuous, fake grassroots campaign Amazon and others have created to kill the bill. It’s a smart lobbying and spin strategy, but it’s not accurate, and they’re just trying to drive false outrage,” an aide for Sen. Grassley told the Washington Examiner last week.
