Washington: The US authorities have planned to take some more time to study whether Internet search giant Google’s proposed remedies are in the interest of consumers, according to a report.
The news came despite knowledgeable sources reporting that the Federal Trade Commission would wrap up its roughly 20-month probe of the company as soon as the end of the week, a move that prompted criticism from Google critics and others.
According to Politico, the watchdog’s chairman Jon Leibowitz had said he hoped to finish the investigation this year.
Earlier it was claimed that the agency was ready to hand down a consent decree that limited Google`s use of patents, while accepting from the company a series of informal concessions in search and advertising.
Ultimately, that conclusion would have spared Google from an antitrust showdown in court, the report said.
It is unclear if the FTC is still moving in this direction, it added.
Google has been accused of intentionally manipulating its search results to harm competitors.
ANI
