Journalism Competition and Preservation Act is added to must-pass defense bill; Facebook threatens to drop news

Congressional leaders have added to a must-pass defense-funding bill legislation that would force Big Tech firms like Google and Meta to pay hundreds of local news outlets for their content, prompting a threat from Meta to remove news content from Facebook, the top source of connection to news stories for online readers, Axios reports: "Barring last-minute Capitol Hill maneuvering, the news-funding measure is now on track to pass after failing for years to gather enough support to become law."

The Journalism Competition and Preservation Act would require tech firms to negotiate payout terms "in good faith" with news publishers for distributing their content, and give publishers a temporary exemption from ant-trust laws to conduct collective bargaining. "The bill doesn’t cover publishers or local broadcasters employing more than 1,500 full-time employees," Axios notes. Still, "Opponents say the bill is a handout for traditional media companies and could force Big Tech firms to pay outlets that routinely publish misinformation. They would have preferred to see almost any of several other major new tech regulations move forward in Congress instead."

Meta's threat is similar to one it made against Australian legislation last year, but the company and lawmakers "reached a compromise and the bill became law," Axios reports. "Several other countries, including Canada and New Zealand, are considering similar laws. The bottom line: This is the JCPA's last real chance at passing for the foreseeable future. It would be very difficult to get the bill over the finish line in a new Congress with divided chambers."