George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School

Antitrust Law in a Digital World: The AT&T and Time Warner Merger


Event Details

  • Date:
  • Venue: Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2226
  • Division: Civil Justice Academy

In November, the Department of Justice brought suit to block the merger of AT&T and Time Warner, claiming the merger would reduce market competition and harm consumers. The DOJ asserts that the merger would allow the newly formed company to use its market power to increase prices or demand more favorable terms from content providers. But others, including many tech industry observers and antitrust experts note that, as a vertical merger, the deal would eliminate no competitors and could serve to lower prices and spur innovation.

Does this merger run afoul of antitrust law, or would it improve competition in a rapidly evolving digital media market? Our panel of antitrust scholars and practitioners discussed these and related questions.

This Congressional Civil Justice Academy briefing featured:

Mark Cooper
Senior Fellow, Consumer Federation of America

Berin Szóka
President, TechFreedom

Moderator: John M. Yun
Director of Economic Education, Global Antitrust Institute and Associate Professor of Law, Antonin Scalia Law School