Press Releases

As a strong supporter of free markets, competition, and innovation, I was disappointed by the testimony of Google chairman Eric Schmidt. I had hoped to hear the company acknowledge the responsibilities that accompany its preeminent position in the Internet search market and address concerns many have raised about Google’s possible anti-competitive activities. Unfortunately, I fear that some of the testimony in today’s hearing may only encourage those who are calling for legal enforcement or government regulation. I am hopeful that we can avoid those outcomes, and encourage Google to take appropriate voluntary action to resolve these concerns.

Members of Utah’s Congressional Delegation today joined together to introduce legislation to address the damage being done by prairie dogs. Sens. Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee, and Reps. Jim Matheson, Jason Chaffetz, and Rob Bishop joined together to introduce the Protecting Public Safety and Sacred Sites from the Utah Prairie Dog Act, which will permit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to take much-needed steps to protect Utahns from the hazards posed to public safety from prairie dogs.

I am disappointed in the Justice Department's decision to seek to block the proposed merger between AT&T and T-Mobile. The Senate Antitrust Subcommittee received significant evidence that the transaction could benefit consumers through enhanced service quality, expanded network capacity, increased data speeds, and continued innovation of data-rich handset devices and applications. I look forward to reviewing the Department's analysis and trust that the merger review process will be directed towards maximization of consumer welfare.

The American people have a right to know what their government is going to do with their tax dollars. Not only do closed door meetings by this Committee prevent the public from knowing how their dollars are being spent, but these meetings also have the potential to promote deals with special interests. Open door proceedings will allow the public to be their own advocates, rather than relying on games of inside baseball that too often dominate today’s Washington.