(The Center Square) – Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser recently announced a coalition of 38 attorneys general and the Department of Justice have proposed a final package of remedies to end Google’s monopoly over internet search engines.
The remedies would include requiring Google to divest Chrome, as well as potentially other assets like Android if the initial remedies fail “to address the marketplace harms or if Google undermined the effectiveness of the decree.”
“For years, the Google browser has been the dominant gateway for users to search the internet,” said Weiser, who led the coalition that included states such as Arizona, Nevada, Oregon and Washington as well as the District of Columbia and one territory, Puerto Rico.
“The states have worked closely with the DOJ on a robust set of remedies to end Google’s monopoly grip of the search market and search advertising, which has stifled innovation, undermined competition, and harmed consumers,” Weiser said. “Our proposed remedies are designed to restore competition in the search marketplace and benefit consumers.”
In a notable change from the initial proposal of remedies, the judgment would no longer require Google to sell off its investments in artificial intelligence.
This all comes after a federal judge in the District of Columbia ruled in a landmark decision last year that Google is a monopolist in online search. Currently, an estimated 3.45 billion people globally use Chrome as their browser, according to a 2024 report from Backlinko.
Google responded to that ruling, stating it “strongly disagrees” with the decision and plans to appeal it following a hearing on the proposed remedies, which is scheduled to begin April 21 and conclude by May 9.
“For its part, DOJ filed a proposal reflecting an interventionist agenda. Its proposal goes far beyond what the court’s decision is actually about,” said Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google’s vice president of regulatory affairs. “DOJ’s proposal would harm American consumers and undermine America’s global technology leadership.”
Google has also filed its own proposed remedies, which are dramatically different from those proposed by the DOJ and states. Most notably, it would not require the divestiture of Chrome, but would allow some additional government oversight.
The coalition of state attorneys general represents a bipartisan effort to “tear down barriers to entry, restore competition, and invite renewed innovation and consumer benefits in the monopolized markets,” according to Weiser.
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, a Republican, joined Weiser, a Democrat, in leading the coalition.
“We proved Google violated antitrust law in an epic federal trial,” said Skrmetti. “Now it’s time to solve the problem.”
