The problem critics have with the proposed merger between AT&T and Time Warner boils down to a "concentration of power," economist and best-selling author Larry Kudlow told Newsmax Friday.
Kudlow spoke with Newsmax TV's Steve Malzberg on "America Talks Live" regarding the deal that some say could give AT&T, which is already dominant player in the cable/satellite market with control over DirecTV and AT&T U-Verse, the additional power of channels such as CNN and HBO.
"I think the issue that's being raised and it's been raised by [President-elect Donald] Trump, is will there be much too much concentration of power regarding all forms of media? I think that's something people have to think about," said Kudlow, Trump's senior economic adviser.
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During his recent presidential campaign Trump said he would oppose the AT&T merger, saying it was part of the "power structure" he was fighting against.
Kudlow said the new AT&T would have control over both the distribution of cable and key channels.
"In other words, owning the content and owning the pipes may go too far," he said.
"And I think in a similar way, you have to think about the power of Google, you have to think about the power of Facebook, this is the new media. It's not about The New York Times anymore, which has very little influence, very little readership. The Washington Post is the same way.
He suggested that Americans need to be wary of "this big behemoth."
Kudlow, a former Reagan administration official, was a key architect of Trump’s tax platform and has served as an informal adviser to the President-elect.
"You have to raise the question of excessive concentration of power," Kudlow said. "Now, how that shakes out and how the details come out, we will learn much more as it goes to hearings. But I think that's the issue, concentration of power."
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