The Senate Judiciary Committee announced a Dec. 7 hearing on the proposed merger of AT&T and Time Warner, panel lawmakers announced Thursday.
AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson and Time Warner CEO Jeffrey Bewkes will testify before the Senate Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee about the merger, which has drawn criticism from lawmakers in both parties who fear it will limit competition and raise prices.
“This is the biggest deal of the year, combining one of the nation’s largest telecommunications providers with a media and entertainment giant,” Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said this week. “It’s imperative that the antitrust regulators conduct a robust review of the proposed acquisition. As the process moves forward, the Senate, and the Judiciary Committee, can and will conduct oversight and ask questions about the transaction, including a hearing to examine the impact on competition and consumers.”
Sen. Patrick Leahy, of Vermont, who is the top Democrat on the Judiciary panel, said the proposed merger “raises potentially serious questions about competition, consumer choice, and privacy across the media, cable TV, wireless and broadband industries.”
