A conservative-libertarian think tank is warning that the American Innovation and Choice Online Act (AICOA), reintroduced in Congress on June 10, 2026, would damage American consumers and the small businesses that rely on major tech platforms. The R Street Institute released a statement criticizing the legislation as a copy of Europe's "most regressive regulations" that targets common business practices used by leading U.S. tech companies. The organization argues the bill would disrupt popular tech products Americans use daily and hurt U.S. competitiveness in artificial intelligence and innovation.
According to R Street resident fellow Josh Withrow, "The common business practices that AICOA condemns as anticompetitive are actually the sort of product integrations that make search engines, online shopping, and all our mobile devices better and more convenient." The statement characterizes the legislation as targeting product integrations across search engines, online shopping platforms, and mobile devices. Withrow notes that similar regulations under the European Union's Digital Markets Act have already forced "multiple companies" to delay rolling out new AI tools to European markets.
The R Street Institute statement emphasizes that AICOA would harm "not only individual U.S. consumers but also the entire ecosystem of smaller businesses that depend on these large, integrated platforms to operate." Withrow called for the legislation to be "left in the dustbin as it has been for the last five years," referencing the bill's previous unsuccessful attempts to pass Congress.
The think tank's core argument rests on European precedent and what it sees as unintended consequences. By pointing to the EU's Digital Markets Act as a cautionary tale, the organization warns that AICOA would replicate regulatory approaches that have already slowed technological deployment overseas. The statement suggests that what lawmakers frame as anticompetitive behavior—such as integrating services within platforms—actually delivers consumer value through convenience and improved functionality. The analysis extends beyond individual users to the business-to-business layer, where R Street contends smaller companies benefit from operating within large platform ecosystems rather than being harmed by them. The concern about AI tool delays in Europe serves as the organization's tangible example of how antitrust regulation can create competitive disadvantages in emerging technology sectors.
The statement frames AICOA's reintroduction as a threat to U.S. technological leadership at a time when competition with other nations in AI and digital innovation is intensifying. R Street's position is clear: the bill would undermine rather than promote innovation, and its track record of failure over the past five years should signal its unsuitability for passage now. The organization's bottom line is that mimicking European tech regulation would be a strategic mistake that sacrifices both consumer experience and America's competitive edge in the global technology race.