Media Consolidation

But Michael Copps, a former member of the Federal Communications Commission and an adviser to Common Cause, was dismayed. “Justice denied and consumers skewered,” Copps said. “We’ve had far too much consolidation causing far too much harm to consumers.” And he predicted that the ruling would lead to still more consolidation. “There’s no constraints,” Copps said. “You’ve got the courts flashing a green light.”

Today, a federal judge issued a ruling approving the proposed $85.4 billion merger between AT&T and Time Warner. The approval allows one of the largest internet service providers to merge with one of the largest film and television studio companies creating an entity that will control the content and distribution of some of the most popular programming in the market.

Former FCC commissioner Michael Copps, who has loudly opposed Sinclair's $3.9 billion takeover of Tribune, says the company is "trying to look as nonthreatening as possible and make this deal look as innocuous as possible." In early May, 21st Century Fox agreed to snap up seven TV stations from Sinclair in a $910 million deal that could help Sinclair get regulatory approval for its Tribune bid. Publicly, Sinclair leadership has denied rumors of a Fox News challenge. But Copps is unmoved: "Watch what they do and not what they say."

The proposed merger should be "dead on arrival" at the FCC, says former Commissioner Michael Copps.

A proposed merger between Sprint and T-Mobile would pose significant public interest harms for consumers. The merger would cut the number of national wireless carriers from four to three, which would reduce competition in the wireless marketplace. Consumers would see no benefit to a marketplace where Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile call all of the shots. Instead, consumers can expect to pay higher prices and see fewer competitive options in the marketplace. Low-income consumers and other vulnerable communities seeking more affordable mobile communications services would be particularly hurt from the merger.