AT&T Deal Raises Antitrust Worries

Buzz that AT&T plans to acquire Time Warner for $85.4 billion has already switched to conversation about antitrust issues. PC World reported this morning that “on Saturday, Randall Stephenson, AT&T chairman and CEO, said the deal would let it combine premium content with the networks to deliver it to every screen, including mobile displays. But many politicians including Democratic party presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and her Republican rival Donald Trump are concerned about the implications of the deal.”

This mega deal would give the telecommunications giant carrier control over HBO, CNN and TBS. Antitrust laws are the laws that apply to virtually all industries and to every level of business, including manufacturing, transportation, distribution and marketing. They prohibit a variety of practices that restrain trade. Examples of illegal practices are price-fixing conspiracies, corporate mergers likely to reduce the competitive vigor of particular markets, and predatory acts designed to achieve or maintain monopoly power.

PC World also noted that as the owners of DirecTV, the AT&T deal could encourage the company to give preference to Time Warner content. Get all of the details, as well, as what some U.S. senators are saying about the deal here.