ITIF - The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation
04/21/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/21/2026 11:54
California Senate Committee Protects American Innovation by Rejecting the BASED Act, Says ITIF
WASHINGTON-Following the failure of California State Sen. Scott Wiener's Blocking Anticompetitive Self-preferencing by Entrenched Dominant platforms (BASED) Act, which would broadly ban large technology firms from engaging in so-called "self-preferencing," to advance to the Senate floor, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) released the following statement from Jack Nicastro, antitrust policy analyst:
The failed BASED Act would have imposed European-style antitrust regulations on America's fiercely competitive technology sector. The California Senate Privacy, Digital Technologies, and Consumer Protection Committee rightly refused to cripple American innovation.There is nothing procompetitive about prohibiting firms like Google from providing consumers with optimized search results. Committee Chair Christopher Cabaldon rightly recognized this concern by asking whether the bill would prevent Google from featuring Google Flights to users looking for the cheapest fares.Supporters of the BASED Act have praised the European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA). Indeed, the two bills are strikingly similar, which is precisely the problem. The DMA's ban on self-preferencing has stifled innovation, harmed consumers, and even reduced online traffic to small businesses.California should celebrate the success of its industry-leading tech companies, not compromise their global edge by importing competition policies that have hobbled their European counterparts.Contact: Sydney Mack, [email protected]
ITIF - The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation published this content on April 21, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on April 21, 2026 at 17:54 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]