FTC to Slap Google with Supboenas in Antitrust Probe

The subpoena letters are expected within the next five days

The Federal Trade Commission is going to serve Google subpoenas as a part of a "wide-ranging, formal antitrust investigation into whether the search giant has abused its dominance on the Web," reports The Wall Street Journal. Citing sources "familiar with the matter," the Journal says that in the next week, the commission will demand information related to Google's search advertising business, which is the company's core industry. Google dominates two-thirds of the Internet search market and the commission will look into whether the company "unfairly channels users to its own growing network of services at the expense of rivals'." The report does not cite who specifically will receive subpoenas but a Bloomberg report last night noted that CEO Larry Page and executive chairman Eric Schmidt have both received subpoena threats from legislators serving on the antitrust subcommittee. The article notes that while the FTC's antitrust investigation is broad a concurrent investigation by the Justice Department is looking into Google's $400 million purchase of the Internet advertising company Admeld.