Google chairman to testify at US antitrust hearing

Google Chairman Eric Schmidt has agreed to testify at a September hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee's Antitrust Subcommittee, US lawmakers said on Friday.

The search giant is in the midst of an antitrust probe by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission over alleged abuses of its market power.

The hearing will examine online competition, subcommittee Chairman Herb Kohl said.

"This will allow us to have a truly informational and thorough public hearing," Kohl said of Schmidt's attendance.

Schmidt vacated his CEO seat to co-founder Larry Page in April and now oversees government affairs.

He said earlier in the week that the company would cooperate fully with U.S. antitrust regulators.

Google runs an estimated 69 percent of Web searches worldwide, and can make or break a company depending on its search ranking.

The FTC is expected to look into complaints from Google's rivals that its search results favor the company's own services.

"I look forward to discussing a number of important issues relating to Google and internet search competition," said Senator Mike Lee, the top Republican on the subcommittee.

A specific hearing date has not been set.

(Reporting by Jasmin Melvin; editing by Carol Bishopric)