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Senate Committee to Hold Hearing in November on AT&T-Time Warner Merger

UPDATED: The Senate Judiciary’s antitrust subcommittee will hold a hearing sometime in November on the proposed merger of AT&T with Time Warner.

No final date has been set for the hearing.

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), who chairs the subcommittee, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), its ranking member, issued a statement in which they said that they “carefully examined consolidation in these industries to ensure that existing market leaders do not block or co-opt new options for receiving video content or exercise disproportionate control over the video content market. We will continue to carefully review and investigate any consolidation in this industry to make sure that it does not harm consumers.”

The merger is expected to face extensive scrutiny from federal regulators. The subcommittee does not vote on the merger, but it does have oversight over the government’s antitrust authorities, including those at the Department of Justice.

In the past, hearings on major mergers have seen the CEOs of both merging companies appear before the subcommittee, along with critics and supporters of the transaction, while they also answer questions from lawmakers.

Former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders added his voice to those opposed to the deal on Sunday, tweeting, “The administration should kill the Time Warner-AT&T merger. This deal would mean higher prices and fewer choices for the American people.”

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