CCIA Questions U.S. Commitment to Open Competition

File Under: News, 2007, Government Competition

Oct 23, 2007

WASHINGTON -- Background: The U.S. Federal Trade Commission recently declined to open a formal antitrust investigation into allegations of anti-competitive behavior by Intel Corporation. The following statement should be attributed to CCIA President & CEO Ed Black:

“U.S. officials charged with enforcing our competition laws seem today far less willing to execute their duties under law than their counterparts in Europe and Asia, in particular as they relate to our vitally important technology industries. The FTC's decision not to formally investigate serious concerns over business practices in the microchip industry reflects this apparent lack of enthusiasm.

“Without prejudging this particular matter, we believe that serious and credible concerns about bottlenecks in the technology product chain warrant official review.  The failure to open so much as an investigation of the microchip industry is particularly troubling in light of other regulators’ inquiries.

“Just as competition spurs innovation throughout technology markets, vigorous competition in the processor market has driven remarkable performance gains over our lifetimes.  Intel, AMD, their consumers and many others have benefited from this competition.  U.S. authorities must be vigilant in assuring vigorous competition in this marketplace.”