Once again, lawmakers in Washington, D.C. are ignoring real problems facing Americans. There is a push for Congress to consider the Open App Markets Act (S. 2710) before the end of the year.    

S. 2710 would prohibit two of the country’s most successful technology companies from requiring app developers to use their in-app payment systems, opening consumers up to security breaches and upending the system as we know it. The bill’s co-sponsors argue that it will give consumers more control over their devices and level the playing field for developers; however, app stores have proven to encourage app creation and innovation and increase competition. In fact, a new report from the American Enterprise Institute highlights that there are nearly 6,000 app developers in the US – a number that has doubled in the past six years thanks to a healthy, competitive marketplace.   

Congress should focus on issues that matter to us here in Mississippi – like avoiding a government shutdown and curbing inflation – rather than an unnecessary bill that would make consumers’ lives harder. This legislation would have detrimental effects for Mississippians like myself and should not have made it out of committee. Let’s hope it doesn’t make it to the Senate floor.  

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