Sec. 2: Findings and Purposes
Congress finds that:
Competition results in higher-quality goods and services;
Competition fosters small business growth, reduces economic inequality and spurs innovation;
Market power in the U.S. is substantial and growing;
Market power makes it difficult for people to start their own business, depresses wages and increases income inequality;
Market concentration contributes to the concentration of political power;
Anticompetitive effects include higher prices, lower quality, lessened choice, reduced innovation, foreclosure of competitors and entry barriers;
Monopsony power allows a firm to force suppliers to accept below-market prices or force workers to accept below-market wages;
Horizontal and vertical consolidation and conglomerate mergers have potential to increase market power and cause anticompetitive harm;