Add senator and presidential candidate Cory Booker (D-N.J.) to the list of legislators backing news publisher efforts to get paid for the content aggregated on edge platforms like Google and Facebook.
Related: Sen. Paul Sponsors Tech Pay for (News) Play Bill
Booker has agreed to co-sponsor the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (JCPA).
“This bipartisan legislation will even the playing field, strengthen competition, and give news outlets the tools they need to negotiate for equitable treatment with our nation’s largest online platforms," said Booker of his decision to sign on. "Local journalism plays a vital role in keeping communities informed and holding public officials accountable, and this bill will help newspapers continue those important efforts.”
Related: News Media Alliance Slams Google Copyright Campaign
The alliance has been trying to get Congress to give news publishers a limited safe antitrust harbor so they can get tech platforms, Facebook and Google most notably, to pay for use of their content given that they "take most of the advertising revenue sold against that content," adding that "[a]dvertising revenue that previously went to the news publishers and allowed them to reinvest in quality journalism is now going to the platforms."
JCPA, bipartisan versions of which have been introduced in both the House and Senate, would create a four-year safe harbor during which publications could negotiate with tech platforms without risking a fine for antitrust violations.
