Dem lawmaker calls for FCC hearing on AT&T deal

Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) on Friday called on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to review the pending sale of Time Warner to AT&T.

“The FCC is our telecommunications cop on the beat, and we need it to ensure that marketplace actions don’t harm consumers, stifle innovation, or reduce competition,” Markey said in a statement.

{mosads}“Given the expansive breadth of the proposed AT&T–Time Warner deal and its potentially dramatic impact on the media marketplace, the FCC and DOJ should have the opportunity to carefully review the proposed merger and assess whether this proposal benefits consumers and promotes the public interest,” he added.

Other politicians have voiced concerns over the $85.4 billion deal combining a telecom giant and an entertainment conglomerate.

Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) has questioned the acquisition, and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has voiced opposition to the deal along with GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, who vowed to block it if he were president.

AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson called Trump’s remarks on the deal “uninformed” and defended the proposed transaction.

Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, has also said that the deal “raises questions and concerns” that should be examined.

The Department of Justice is already set to review the deal for any potential breaches of antitrust law. The FCC, however, can only review the acquisition if FCC licenses are transferred to AT&T.

“AT&T and Time Warner are currently determining which FCC licenses, if any, will be transferred to AT&T in connection with the transaction,” an AT&T spokesperson told Bloomberg News.

The Senate Judiciary Committee’s antitrust subcommittee has said that it will hold a hearing on the acquisition on Dec. 7.