Big Tech antitrust bill nears reintroduction on Capitol Hill — but could be thwarted by key Democrats

A major antitrust bill to rein in Big Tech is poised to be reintroduced in Congress – but insiders fret that key Democrats with cozy ties to Silicon Valley could undermine their own party’s agenda.

Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, is leading a push to resurrect the American Innovation and Competition Online Act. The bill would block Big Tech firms from “self-preferencing” their own services — for example Google promoting its shopping tool in search results while demoting rival services.

Reintroduction of AICOA is a “priority” for Nadler, who is set to sponsor the legislation and wants to get it done by the end of June, a congressional source close to the situation told The Post. The Senate version of the bill was reintroduced last year and co-sponsored by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa).

“Reintroduction will happen, it’s just a matter of getting the members together and dotting some ‘I’s and crossing some ‘T’s,” said the source, who asked not to be named.

AICOA advanced past committee in 2022 with broad bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate. However, the legislation ultimately stalled without receiving a full floor vote after a furious lobbying effort by tech firms in which Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai reportedly placed direct calls to lawmakers.

Some of the bill’s supporters fear a similar outcome this time around in the current session of Congress, which already has a full slate of legislative priorities on deck, including the Kids Online Safety Act.