Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios
Lawmakers have added a measure to Congress' must-pass defense funding bill that would force Big Tech firms like Google and Meta to pay hundreds of local news outlets for their content, sources tell Axios.
Why it matters: Barring last-minute Capitol Hill maneuvering, the news-funding measure is now on track to pass after failing for years to gather enough support to become law.
Driving the news: A number of civil society and tech groups and others opposed to JCPA told Axios Monday that the bill would be included in the NDAA following negotiations between Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).
Be smart: Because the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) needs to pass by the end of the year to keep the military funded, the JCPA's inclusion would make it much more likely to become law.
How it works: The JCPA requires tech firms to negotiate payout terms "in good faith" with news publishers for distributing their content. If they can't come to an agreement, the bill allows news publishers to demand third-party arbitration.
Opponents of the bill would have preferred to see almost any of several other major new tech regulations move forward in Congress instead.
Between the lines: Meta threatened to remove news from its platform altogether if JCPA passed. It had made a similar threat when Australia introduced its bill, though it later reached a compromise.
The big picture: Several other countries are considering similar laws.
The bottom line: This is the JCPA's last real chance at passage for the foreseeable future. It would be very difficult to get the bill over the finish line in a new Congress with divided chambers.
Go deeper: U.S. lawmakers debut updated news competition bill modeled after Australia
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