Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Communications and Technology Subcommittee Ranking Member Anna Eshoo (D-CA) today sent a letter to full Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) and Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) requesting a subcommittee hearing to evaluate the current state of the video marketplace in light of the proposed $85 billion sale of Time Warner to AT&T.
The two Democratic committee leaders wrote that video content continues to be a driving force in the future of communications, pointing to exciting innovations with over-the-top video offerings.
Given the current competitive marketplace, traditional communications companies, including AT&T, are seeking to expand and diversify their holdings of content, especially video content.
“As more consumers go mobile, the demand for content will continue. All of this activity raises important questions about the overall effects on programs, choices, and prices," Pallone and Eshoo wrote in their letter. “Our role in the Energy and Commerce Committee is to provide oversight of these markets and to gain better insight on the impact on consumers. Now is the time to take the opportunity to explore these issues."
