Antitrust Cops Look to Retool as Washington Flays Big Tech Firms

U.S. antitrust enforcers are kicking off a major review of competition policy to explore whether their playbook needs a revamp given rising industry concentration and the dominance of technology giants.

Federal Trade Commission Chairman Joe Simons will open the first of a series of hearings Sept. 13 in Washington that will examine whether mergers have made the American economy less competitive and whether the way antitrust officials police corporate takeovers and anti-competitive conduct by big companies is outdated.

Many economists and lawyers, worried about the threat to competitive markets from consolidated industries, say the answer is yes and are calling ...