Google’s future depends on Trump’s FTC pick
Google’s future depends on Trump’s FTC pick
By Josh Kosman February 17, 2017 | 10:19pm
Alphabet believes it has a lot riding on who President
Trump picks to lead the Federal Trade Commission, several sources close to the
situation told The Post.
The federal regulator has the power to investigate
antitrust issues and could be a thorn in the side of the tech giant.
For example, Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes — on
Trump’s short list of possible FTC leaders — likely would open a probe into
whether Alphabet improperly pressured mobile phone makers to install Google
apps on their phones, sources said.
The FTC, when conducting an investigation into Google
that closed in January 2013, never looked deeply into that issue, two sources
with direct knowledge of the investigation said.
A year ago, Reyes, citing new information and
developments that became available since the FTC closed its probe, wrote a
letter to the FTC encouraging it to open a new Alphabet probe.
Meanwhile, interim FTC Chair Maureen Ohlhaussen — the
other possible Trump pick to lead the agency — was an FTC commissioner when the
regulator voted to close the Google investigation, public records show.
“It is pretty hard for her to be seen as anti-Google at
this point,” said a source who happens to support Reyes.
Reyes does have his supporters. They include AT&T,
Comcast, Oracle and Yelp, sources familiar with the situation said.
Not surprisingly, Alphabet would like to see Ohlhausen
get the FTC job, according to a source close to the search giant.
It would also be happy if longer-shot candidate Josh
Wright was named, sources said.
Ohlhausen in recent weeks has shown she wants the
position. On Thursday, she named Tad Lipsky — a member of President Trump’s FTC
transition team — to be the acting director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition.
The move would please the administration, a source said.
Reyes is very interested in the job, a spokesperson
offered on Friday.
He has already been vetted for the position, a person
familiar with the matter said.
If the FTC investigated Alphabet over Android the worst
likely outcome for Alphabet would be the FTC requiring it to change its
conduct, a source close to the FTC said.
The European Commission is presently investigating
Alphabet over Android, and if it finds Alphabet guilty will impose fines, the
source said.
Close White House adviser and venture capitalist Peter
Thiel, in his 2014 book, “Zero to One,” calls Google a monopoly.
Thiel was interviewing candidates for anti-trust
positions.
Alphabet declined comment.
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