A recent deal between Google and the State of California has caught the ire of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB).
In an agreement between Google and the state, the tech company has agreed to pay millions of dollars to local news organizations. However, critics of the deal have argued that it’s a political maneuver to avoid paying larger dollars should the state have passed legislation requiring tech firms to support local news outlets.
In a post authored by Senior Vice President of Communications Alex Siciliano, the NAB says the deal “sets a dangerous precedent that could cripple trusted news outlets and lets big tech off the hook as they continue to siphon advertising dollars away from local broadcast stations and other news publishers while not offering fair compensation for our content.”
“It also makes abundantly clear that the need for federal action is now more urgent than ever. It is past time for Congress to pass the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (JCPA), a bipartisan bill that would give broadcasters and other news publishers the power to come together and negotiate fair terms with Big Tech for how their content is used online,” Siciliano continued.
The NAB asserts that the JCPA will “level the playing field, allowing TV and radio stations to continue their vital work in producing trusted, fact-based journalism.”
The organization is advocating for the passage of the bill, arguing that “our democracy depends” on its approval.
