Senators Question Ticketmaster Head on Bot Activity, ‘Monopolistic’ Industry Control

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) speak to former Facebook data scientist Frances Haugen (C) during a hearing of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security on Capitol Hill in Washington on Oct. 5, 2021. Alex Brandon/AP Photo

Senators are working to get the Federal Telecommunications Commission to enforce a 2016 law called the Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act, which is meant to prevent and penalize those who run automated bots when purchasing tickets from online sales platforms.

Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday questioned and strongly criticized Joe Berchthold, president of Live Nation Entertainment—parent company of Ticketmaster—for its failed rollout of tickets for a Taylor Swift concert tour.