Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers Seeks Public Input for Big Tech Hearing

By John Eggerton
( Broadcasting & Cable )
published

Rep. Rodgers reaches out to other Republicans for ideas as well

Cathy McMorris Rodgers at the 2018 Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland.
(Image credit: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0)

House Energy & Commerce Committee Republicans are casting a wide net for input on Big Tech issues as they prepare for a March 25 hearing with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey.

The hearing is titled "Misinformation and Disinformation Plaguing Online Platforms."

Also Read: House GOP Leaders Say Big Tech is Destructive Force

Energy & Commerce Committee ranking member Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) is asking anyone--the public as well as other Republican legislators--with ideas or feedback on the following to e-mail them to BigTech@mail.house.gov.

Also Read: House Dems Seek Facebook Info on Disinformation, Extremism

  1. "What concerns do you believe must be raised with Big Tech and social media platforms? 
  2. "Do you trust Big Tech to consistently enforce their policies? Why or Why not?
  3. "Do you trust Big Tech as fair and responsible stewards of their platforms? Why or Why not?
  4. "Do you have any examples of issues you have experienced with Big Tech that the Energy and Commerce Committee should be aware of before the hearing? If so, please provide details of such examples."

Also Read: Social Net CEOs Get Senate Grilling

E&C Republicans in January issued a Big Tech Accountability Platform based on four principles: 1) transparency; 2) accountability; 3) consistency and objectivity; and 4) competition.

John Eggerton
John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.