AT&T-DirecTV deal poses threat to consumers

[Commentary] AT&T's bid to buy DirecTV has been floating under the radar, drawing neither the scrutiny nor the scorn of Comcast's recently abandoned proposal to buy Time Warner Cable. But that doesn't make the deal any better for consumers.

If the reports and rumors coming out of Washington are true, federal regulators are likely to wrap up their review of the AT&T-DirecTV merger soon, and are likely to approve it. That would be a grave mistake. Having allowed way too much consolidation in the past, regulators should be pushing for more competition in the telecommunications market, not acquiescing to less. Less competition is exactly what you'd get if AT&T and DirecTV are allowed to merge. The regulators ought to just flat-out reject the merger. Any potential benefits it may offer to consumers are questionable at best, and the potential harms are all too certain.