Overnight Tech: Dem bill would let news outlets team up against Facebook, Google | Broadcom teases $1.5B innovation fund to regulators | SEC wants crypto exchanges to register | GOP senator offers net neutrality bill

View in your browser     AN ANTITRUST BREAK?: A House Democrat introduced a bill on Wednesday that would allow media outlets to band together to negotiate for better terms with giant tech platforms that have been dominating the market for online ad revenue. Rep. David Cicilline's (D-R.I.) Journalism Competition and Preservation Act would grant a temporary antitrust waiver for news publishers to collectively negotiate with companies like Facebook and Google. "Our democracy is strongest when we have a free, open press that informs citizens, holds public officials accountable, and roots out corruption," Cicilline, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee, said in a statement. "This bill empowers local newspapers to negotiate collectively with the biggest technology platforms to ensure consumers have access to the best journalism possible."   Cicilline, the top Democrat on antitrust matters in the House is only the latest high-profile figure to weigh in on the tension between publishers and Facebook and Google which have a stronghold on how their content is disseminated. Here's where other prominent figures have come down in the debate: CNN President Jeff Zucker: In Feburary, Zucker said that regulators should focus on "monopolies" (his words) like Facebook and Google, which he said are the "biggest issue facing the growth of journalism in the years ahead." Rupert Murdoch: The News Corp. owner said in January that Facebook and Google should pay carriage fees to media outlets for their content, similar to how broadcasters pay news outlets. Stephen Bannon: Before his departure from the White House, Bannon reportedly floated the idea of regulating Google and Facebook as public utilities. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.): Warren jumped in early on talk of tougher regulation on Facebook and Google. Since at least 2016, she's been warning about potential harms of consolidation among such large tech companies. Fun context: New York Times technology columnist Farhad Manjoo tried to get his news without Facebook, Twitter, Google or any other technology for two months.     Please send your tips, comments and your entire 68 team s-curve projection for March Madness to Ali Breland (abreland@thehill.com) and Harper Neidig (hneidig@thehill.com) and follow us on Twitter: @alibreland and @hneidig. We're also on Signal and WhatsApp. Email or DM us for our numbers.   BROADCOM PROMISES REGULATORS $1.5 BILLION INNOVATION FUND: Broadcom, the Singapore-based tech firm that has been aggressively trying to take over Qualcomm, is promising to start a new $1.5 billion U.S. innovation fund amid a federal investigation into the national security implications of its bid for the U.S. chip manufacturer. The announcement comes a day after the U.S. put the hostile takeover on hold, saying that Broadcom could jeopardize national security by threatening Qualcomm's technological leadership. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS) said in a letter to Qualcomm's attorneys on Monday that it was worried Broadcom would cut back on Qualcomm's investment in emerging technologies like 5G components in favor of short-term projects, thus opening the door for foreign firms to take the lead. On Wednesday, Broadcom tried to assure regulators that it is emphasizing investments in research and development. Read more here.   R/RUSSIAN INFLUENCE: Reddit has not turned over any documents to congressional investigators regarding Russian influence on its platform despite saying that it is cooperating on the matter, The Daily Beast reported Wednesday. Sources told the news outlet that Reddit has yet to hand over any documents to the House and Senate panels responsible for investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election. The report comes after Reddit CEO Steve Huffman said his company was "cooperating with congressional inquiries" in a public post Monday. Read more here.   GOP SENATOR INTRODUCES NET NEUTRALITY BILL: A Republican senator being courted by Democrats as a possible tie-breaking vote for a bill that would overturn the FCC's net neutrality repeal has offered his own legislation to replace the Obama-era rules on internet service providers. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) introduced a bill on Wednesday that would prohibit companies like Comcast and Verizon from blocking or throttling web content. But it's unlikely to satisfy Democrats and net neutrality activists who also want the government to ban providers from creating internet fast lanes, which they say would upend the internet's level playing field. "Does this bill resolve every issue in the net neutrality debate?" Kennedy said in a statement. "No, it doesn't. It's not a silver bullet. But it's a good start." Read more here.   SEC ANNOUNCES CRYPTOCURRENCY EXCHANGES MUST REGISTER: The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Wednesday announced that all platforms used for exchanging crypto assets, such as bitcoin and ethereum, must register. "If a platform offers trading of digital assets that are securities and operates as an 'exchange,' as defined by the federal securities laws, then the platform must register with the SEC as a national securities exchange or be exempt from registration," the SEC said in a statement. The SEC also warned in its statement that many places where cryptocurrencies are currently being exchanged aren't SEC-registered despite their appearances and are actually "potentially unlawful." Read more here.   SNAP LAYING OFF ABOUT 100 ENGINEERS: Snap Inc., the company behind the popular photo-sharing app Snapchat, is laying off about 100 of its engineers. The layoffs amount to nearly 10 percent of Snap's engineering staff and the company's largest round of cuts yet. The business news website Cheddar reported the staffing cuts earlier Wednesday. The layoffs are expected to be announced internally this week, according to Cheddar. The news outlet said the company declined to comment. Read more here.   GRAPH OF THE DAY:  The senior employees at venture capital firms are overwhelmingly men. This isn't new, but a graph from Axios illustrates what that looks like.   IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: The New York Times' Farhad Manjoo writes about only getting news from print for two months. The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy touts its achievements since inauguration. Russia's influence campaign also mined Americans' personal data, according to The Wall Street Journal. Peter Thiel dishes on Trump, tech regulation and Gawker in his latest interview with the Times. Amazon working on a fix for random Alexa laughter     Join The Hill on Wednesday, March 21, for Leadership in Action: The Hill's Newsmaker Series featuring Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Reps. Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.), and Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.). RSVP Here         Did a friend forward you this email? 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