Let me get this straight. The communications boom is finally reviving the U.S. economy. There’s an incredible wave of startup activity and excitement around smartphones, mobile apps, broadband wireless. Jobs are being created, and the economy feels alive again. Sounds like a great time to be celebrating our success, doesn’t it?
Yet the Federal Trade Commission has apparently decided that it’s a good time to go after Google, one of the key leaders of the communications revolution. And, oh yes, incidentally one of the most innovative companies in the world. Are these guys serious?
According to a front page story in the NYT this morning, “[f]ederal regulators escalated their antitrust investigation of Google on Thursday by hiring a prominent litigator, sending a strong signal that they are prepared to take the Internet giant to court.” The story went on to say “the core question is whether power was abused.”