Although in mid-December the Washington Post reported that there was an apparent antitrust settlement with Google and the FTC, Google reached out to me to let me know otherwise. Google sent me an email  with a link to former FTC Commissioner Orson Swindle’s article and a Forbes article which I reference below.  Google wanted me to know among other things said:

The FTC, though it looked like it was very soon to announce resolution of its Google investigations, may be putting this off a little longer, at least, presumably due to competitor push back. But, from what has been reported in the media to date, it seems like a solution is very close which not only protects consumers but also protects innovation.

Commission Swindle wrote in the Washington Post regarding the FTC investigation:

Google’s competitors, led by Microsoft and the FairSearch coalition, have been clamoring for government action against the company for years. To the FTC’s credit, it appears this extraordinarily well-funded public relations and lobbying ploy will not bear fruit for FairSearch and its accusation of search bias by Google.

In a recent report Forbes including this summary regarding the FTC investigation:

The final chapter in this investigation clearly has yet to be written, and much may change over the coming weeks and months. If the rumors prove true, the FTC’s actions will send a signal to all tech companies that they must act responsibly, but also that they can continue innovating and growing without constant fear of a potentially damaging enforcement action.

So I guess we all need to stay tuned for the FTC’s action regarding Google’s search engine business.
 

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