Apple and Google app stores get White House approval

And on another competitive front, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau made efforts to cap fees for late credit card payments.

The Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration report says the current app store model, dominated by Apple and Google, is "harmful to consumers and developers" by driving up prices and reducing innovation. The companies have a stranglehold on the market, which is crushing the competition, he adds.

"The guidelines that Apple and Google have for their own mobile app stores have created barriers and costs for app developers, ranging from entry fees to feature limitations that favor some apps over others," the statement said Report in The Wall Street Journal in January, Biden urged Democrats and Republicans to control corporations without mentioning Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California.and Google LLC located in Mountain View, California, namely. "When tech platforms get big enough, many find ways to promote their own products while excluding or hurting competitors, or charging competitors a fortune to sell them on their platform," Biden said. "My vision for our economy is one in which everyone - small and medium-sized businesses, corner shops, entrepreneurs - can compete on an equal footing with the largest companies.

An Apple representative told The Associated Press, "We respectfully disagree with a number of the report's conclusions that ignore our investments in innovation, privacy and security, all of which help users love Apple iPhone and create one." level playing field for small developers to compete in a safe place. and trusted platform. And a Google spokesman said the company also disagreed with the report, saying "how this report characterizes Android, which offers more choice and competition than any other mobile operating system."A lawsuit for supremacy in the app store is already under way in court. Apple has defended its iPhone app store environment, known as the Walled Garden, as a must-have feature valued by consumers who want the best possible protection for their personal information.

It has said that it faces significant competition from various alternatives to gaming on its iPhones. And Google has long resisted monopoly claims. drive competition in the app ecosystem.Alan Davidson, the NTIA administrator, told reporters that the report "identifies where legislation is needed to address some of these issues." Meanwhile, the White House said the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will move forward with a proposed rule capping late fees that the bureau estimates would save consumers about $9 billion annually in late fees. already in 2024.

"In the past, credit card companies charged relatively small penalties for late payments, but when they discovered that these fees could be an easy source of revenue, late fees skyrocketed with a surge in the 2000s," Chopra told reporters. "And in recent years, those late payment fees have increased to $41. Pay .