The group will be called The Internet Association and plans to launch in September, according to an anonymous source the The Washington Post spoke to. When it's launched, the full list of members will be available, but as it stands already, The Internet Association contains some major tech players. The group will be led by former Deputy Staff Director to the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee Michael Beckerman.
The group's aim is to fight restricting regulations that impede innovation, although some lawmakers say regulations are necessary for the often-unregulated tech industry.
The group's website describes its mission as this: "The Internet Association is the unified voice of the Internet economy, representing the interests of America's leading Internet companies and their global community of users. The Internet Association is dedicated to advancing public policy solutions to strengthen and protect an open, innovative and free Internet."
The Washington Post notes that the tech industry -- and the giant companies leading The Internet Association -- are facing regulatory issues that would impact their business, including "privacy legislation, online sales tax reforms, cybersecurity and proposed anti-piracy and copyright laws."
In the past, the U.S. government has investigated Google on numerous occasions, in one instance to see if it favors its own products in search results. Apple was also investigated by the FTC for its business dealings with Google.