CNBC: Google and Amazon Bankrolled a 'Small Business' Astroturf Group to Lobby Against Big Tech Oversight

A recent report by CNBC details how Google and Amazon financed a small business owner advocacy group in order to lobby against Big Tech regulation.

CNBC reports that tech giants Amazon and Google are reportedly behind the funding of the Connected Commerce Council (3C), a group that claims to be a grassroots movement representing small business owners.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos during the JFK Space Summit at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston, Wednesday, June 19, 2019. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Google train (Alex Wong /Getty)

CNBC tells the story of Clay Montgomery, the owner of a small blacksmith shop called “Arrow M Enterprises,” outside of Mingus, Texas. Montgomery’s blacksmith shop was reportedly listed as a member of a Washington D.C. trade group called the “Connected Commerce Council” (3C) which describes itself as a non-profit organization aiming to “promote small businesses’ access to essential digital technologies and tools.”

The astroturf group aggressively campaigns against the regulation of big tech firms and according to its website wants to ensure that “policymakers understand the essential intersection of technology and small business.” But, Montgomery says that he is not a member of the group and has never even heard of it.

Montgomery isn’t the only small business owner to surprisingly find their names listed as a member of the Connected Commerce Council. Over 20 other individuals listed as members of the group told CNBC they never even heard of the group.

CNBC writes:

Lobbying watchdog group the Campaign for Accountability called 3C an “Astroturf” lobbying organization, thanks to the tech giants’ financial support. That’s a bit of Washington slang for a group that claims to represent grassroots entities, but in reality serves as an advocate for big industry. It’s a tactic used in Washington to push for specific legislative or regulatory goals using the sympathetic face of mom and pop organizations. The Campaign for Accountability described 3C in a 2019 report as an “Astroturf-style front group for the nation’s largest technology companies.”

“Big Tech knows that voters and their representatives aren’t hugely sympathetic toward the complaints of trillion-dollar corporations, so they’ve decided to paint small businesses as the real victims of antitrust legislation,” said Michelle Kuppersmith, executive director of the Campaign for Accountability.

To be sure, the group does have some active small business members, several of whom told CNBC they value 3C’s offerings and agree with its issue advocacy in Washington.