The top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday called for an immediate congressional hearing on a proposed merger between Time Warner Cable and AT&T.
“This proposed massive consolidation of distribution and content raises potentially serious questions about competition, consumer choice, and privacy across the media, cable TV, wireless and broadband industries,” Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in a statement Monday. “Given the potential impact for consumers, the Senate Judiciary Committee should hold a public hearing on this proposed merger without delay. The antitrust regulators must also carefully consider whether it will benefit consumers in Vermont and across America.”
The companies announced Saturday that AT&T would buy Time Warner in an $85.4 billion deal. Consumer advocacy groups and several congressional Democrats have warned the deal could be anti-competitive and ultimately bad for consumers by leading to preferential treatment and the stifling of independent programming.
Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, has not yet scheduled a hearing or pledged any scrutiny of the deal. His spokeswoman has not yet returned a request for comment on Leahy’s demand for a hearing.
