A settlement this small spread among companies like this looks weak. It would seem to have little punitive effect in preventing companies from engaging in anti-

A settlement this small spread among companies like this looks weak. It would seem to have little punitive effect in preventing companies from engaging in anti-competitive behavior. It might actually encourage this practice across more industries when they see how easy they got off. Competition between firms benefiting everyone is fundamental to having a healthy growing economy. It simply cannot be dismissed as a function of the free market to allow this form of collusion.