> Why do iOS developers as a group need the government to grant them bartering power?

Because Apple won't give it to them in good-faith.

> If so why can't every other sizeable group, such as commenters on HN, demand government granted bartering power?

They can, they just won't necessarily get it. I think there is ample evidence to support the claim that Apple is holding back software distribution and service innovation with their actions. If found guilty of anticompetitive practice (eg. in the case of Spotify), the most fitting consequence would be breaking Apple's monopoly on app distribution. The only law we'd need is one mandating the installation of third-party software packages (APKs on Android and IPAs on iOS).

Is forcing the App Store to compete with the free market a bad thing? It shouldn't be, if the value proposition is there.

Thought experiment: if Apple didn't provide an App Store on iOS, would you argue that they must provide the capabilities for others to build and deploy App Stores? What would be the argument to force them to do that?