SB 1580 – aims to address the decline of local journalism by requiring tech platforms to share advertising revenue with news organizations whose content they distribute. The bill specifically references Google and Meta’s alleged monopolistic practices and their impact on local news outlets (18 Oregon outlets closed 2022-2025). SB 1580 aims to force social media companies into certain hamstrung agreements with Oregon media businesses. It would bind them to arbitration and the threat of huge fines, by the millions, if they do not comply.
SUBMIT TESTIMONY HERE before 2/13 at 8am
This is another bill that shouldn’t be in the short session. It is not straight-forward and online news content should be decided by clearly defined laws and court cases where everyone is allowed full participation in the process. Outsourcing decision making and tax-imposing powers upon other non-governmental entities is not democratic with no accountability.
Main Requirements:
- “Covered platforms” (tech companies with 50M+ US users and $550B+ revenue/market cap) must have written agreements to access Oregon news content
- Platforms must pay digital journalism providers for content aggregation
- 70% of funds received must be spent on journalists and support staff.
Enforcement Mechanisms:
- Civil lawsuits – News providers can sue for $1,000 per unauthorized access or actual damages
- Arbitration process – Determines percentage of platform ad revenue owed to news providers
- Two-year exemption (2027-2028) – Platforms can pay fixed amounts ($104M for larger platforms, $18M for smaller) to avoid lawsuits.
Oregon Civic Information Consortium:
- Receives 10% of all platform payments
- Governed by 13-member board
- Awards grants to support local journalism and civic information projects