FTC nominee Melissa Holyoak could face fresh hurdle as critics blast Google settlement

Melissa Holyoak’s bid for a vacant GOP seat on the Federal Trade Commission could face a fresh hurdle as critics blast the weak terms of Google’s $700 million settlement over anticompetitive Android app store practices, sources told On The Money.

Holyoak, the Republican solicitor general of Utah, played a key role in negotiating the deal after US states alleged Google’s monopolistic tactics, including charging fees of up to 30% on major developers within its “Play” store – had resulted in higher prices and less choice for consumers.

The settlement, which Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney blasted as an “injustice to all Android users and developers,” could rankle Republicans who want any FTC nominee to be “appropriately skeptical of Big Tech” — and even cause some to rethink their support, an industry source who requested anonymity to discuss the situation told The Post.

“If she’s the tip of the spear in an embarrassing settlement, that’s not a good look,” the source added.

As The Post previously reported in June, some Washington insiders fretted that Holyoak didn’t have the antitrust bona fides they’d like to see in a new commissioner — with one source quipping that FTC chief Lina Khan will “run circles” around GOP nominees on antitrust.

The GOP-backed litigator needs approval in a full floor vote after clearing the Senate Commerce Committee in October.