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Lawmakers on the Senate Judiciary Committee did not focus on the
Big Tech markets, which have received huge amounts of public
attention, but asked about a range of industries. In response to
each, Kanter pledged vigorous enforcement of antitrust law.
Kanter showed enthusiasm when asked about the labor market,
where non-compete agreements and other issues have come under
criticism for making it harder for workers to leave their jobs
for a higher salary or better conditions.
He said that once confirmed he was "eager" to work on the issue.
If confirmed by the Senate, as expected, Kanter will take the
reins of the Justice Department's Antitrust Division amid calls
for tougher enforcement overall, with special criticism aimed at
Alphabet's Google, Facebook Inc, Amazon.com Inc and Apple Inc.
The companies have vigorously denied any wrongdoing.
The department has sued Google and is investigating Apple for
violations of antitrust law.
Kanter has spent years representing rivals of Google, which the
Justice Department sued last year alleging that it broke
antitrust law in seeking to hobble rivals.
The Biden administration previously chose two antitrust
progressives with tech expertise, Tim Wu for the National
Economic Council and Lina Khan to be a commissioner at the
Federal Trade Commission.
(Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
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