SACRAMENTO, California – A significant legislative effort to curb the market power of major technology companies in California, Senate Bill 1074 (SB 1074), did not secure enough votes to pass out of the state Senate Privacy, Digital Technologies, and Consumer Protection Committee on April 21, 2026. The bill, also known as the Blocking Anticompetencive Self-preferencing by Entrenched Dominant platforms (BASED) Act, sought to establish new antitrust regulations for firms with a market capitalization of $1 trillion or more and at least 100 million monthly U.S. users.
Authored by San Francisco Democratic state Senator Scott Wiener, SB 1074 aimed to prevent what proponents described as "self-preferencing" practices by large digital platforms. Specifically, the legislation would have prohibited these companies, including Google and Apple, from blocking competing app stores on their platforms and from manipulating search results to favor their own products and services over those of competitors.
Senator Wiener stated that the bill was designed to address the immense power of Big Tech, which he argued leads to higher prices, limited freedoms, and stifled competition. He emphasized the need for an internet free from interference by monopolistic corporations and indicated that he is exploring alternative options to advance similar protections.
The proposed legislation was supported by organizations such as Y Combinator and Economic Security California Action, who argued that self-preferencing practices by dominant platforms hinder innovation and create an uneven playing field for smaller tech companies and startups. The bill's framework was modeled on California's existing Cartwright Act, a foundational competition statute, and would have allowed for both private rights of action for injured businesses and consumers, as well as enforcement actions by the Attorney General.
Despite passing an initial hurdle earlier in April, SB 1074 ultimately failed to garner sufficient committee support to move forward in the legislative process. Lawmakers from both parties reportedly raised concerns regarding the potential impact of the bill on widely used services, such as Apple's App Store and Google Search. The failure of SB 1074 in committee on April 21, 2026, marks a setback for advocates seeking to impose stricter antitrust regulations on major technology firms within California.