- Seven groups from across the political spectrum have joined together to urge the Justice Dept. to reject AT&T's (T +1%) $85B bid for Time Warner (TWX +0.5%), objecting to the power over television that the combined company would have.
- More liberal consumer groups including Public Knowledge and Consumer Federation of America joined conservative Tea Party Patriots and the American Family Association in a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions saying that AT&T's already the top pay TV company, and adding the Time Warner content powerhouse consolidates too much influence.
- In particular, the groups warned that possible "zero rating" (exempting AT&T content from data caps) would lead to favoring Time Warner programming over competitors.
- "While the undersigned groups’ opinions diverge significantly on many policy issues, we are united in our desire to ensure that free expression is not threatened by an increasingly limited number of companies that dominate U.S. media," the seven groups write.
- Now read: AT&T Keeps Dropping - What To Do?
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