Institute for Local Self-Reliance Launches Independent Business Petition to Congress

The Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) launched an independent business petition last week calling on Congress to act on the recommendations in the House Antitrust Subcommittee’s Big Tech report. The report, which was released on October 6, found that Amazon has monopoly power and laid out suggested solutions to limit the scope and power of Big Tech — including strengthening antitrust enforcement and blocking online platforms from giving themselves preferential treatment.

ILSR’s petition is part of an effort to keep the pressure on Congress to follow through with the report’s recommendations, especially with a new Congress. The petition is geared towards independent businesses and focuses on Amazon’s disproportionate impact on the independent business community, saying, “Amazon’s predatory tactics threaten our existence.”

In line with the report’s recommendations, the petition asks Congress to pass legislation to break up and regulate Amazon and help restore competition so entrepreneurs have a fair shot to compete.

To learn more about the report’s findings and what the findings mean for independent businesses, see ILSR’s short explainer here.

Interested bookstores can sign the petition here.