WASHINGTON—Today, the U.S. House of Representatives will vote on the bipartisan Strengthening Agency Management and Oversight of Software Assets Act (SAMOSA Act), which passed unanimously in committee, spearheaded by Reps. Matt Cartwright (D-PA) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA). NetChoice encourages Members of the House to vote for this important bill and send it to the Senate for consideration before the end of the year.
The U.S. government continues to squander valuable taxpayer resources on IT systems because of the harmful practice of “vendor lock” by a few incumbent software providers. This practice “locks” federal agencies in contracts that discourage competition through restrictive licenses, punitive audits, fees and more.
“If passed, the SAMOSA Act would foster increased competition for government IT contracts, encouraging companies to enhance their product quality, security, and overall value. NetChoice encourages Members to unanimously approve the bill today on the House floor, and we commend Reps. Cartwright and Fitzpatrick for championing this effort,” said Amy Bos, NetChoice Director of State & Federal Affairs.
Bos continued: “For decades now, anticompetitive practices like vendor lock have squandered millions in taxpayer dollars. A recent report showed that reforming these procurement practices even modestly could save taxpayers an estimated $750 million annually by fostering greater competition.”
You can read more about the SAMOSA Act here, and read IT expert Michael Garland’s 2023 paper, sponsored by NetChoice, on the pernicious consequences of vendor lock here.
Image generated by NetChoice using ChatGPT’s DALL-E.
Please contact press@netchoice.org with inquiries.