Collaborating with a wide range of businesses including digital consumer providers, industry trade bodies, and other media groups, the joint letter expresses concerns about reports that the Government is looking to amend key parts of this legislation and replace it with a weaker appeals standard.

The Bill, which is currently making its way through the parliamentary process, will give statutory powers to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to regulate the online world and address current digital market failures.

Specialist publishers need the CMA to be able to use their powers to rectify market failures and combat uncompetitive practices. This includes unfair data practices that lock publishers out of the digital advertising market or rapid, unannounced algorithmic changes that adversely impact publishers without warning.

The Judicial Review appeals standard is when decisions made by the CMA are challenged, these challenges can be reviewed quickly, and the regulator can progress with its work in promoting competition without unnecessary delay. The PPA is against the potential watering down of this process, as it would slow down the CMA’s activity and have a negative impact on publishers.

Sajeeda Merali, Chief Executive, PPA commented: “It’s important that we ensure competitive business conditions for our specialist publisher members. This Bill presents us with a landmark opportunity to rectify current market failures. Weakening the Bill by removing the Judicial Review would undermine this important opportunity”.

Other signatories include:

• Which? (Consumers Association)
• Coalition for App Fairness (CAF)
• Expedia Group
• News Media Association (NMA)
• Skyscanner
• Kelkoo Group
• Gener8
• Publishers Association
• Ecosia
• Open Markets Institute
• The Coalition for Online Data Empowerment (CODE)
• The Responsible Online Commerce Coalition
• DuckDuckGo
• JLINC Labs
• Movement for an Open Web (MOW)
• Ctrl-Shift L
  

You can read the letter in full here.