{
  "id": "RS22940",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RS22940",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 354288,
      "date": "2009-12-08",
      "retrieved": "2016-04-07T02:09:27.689356",
      "title": "Merger Review Authority of the Federal Communications Commission",
      "summary": "With the proposed merger between Comcast and NBC/Universal announced recently, Congress has expressed an interest in the process of merger reviews at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission). This report will explain the merger review process at the FCC, as well as highlight some of the difference between the FCC\u2019s process and the more traditional antitrust merger review conducted by agencies such as the Department of Justice (DOJ) or the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). \nWhenever companies holding licenses issued by the FCC wish to merge, the merging entities must obtain approval from two federal agencies: the DOJ and the FCC. The Commission and the DOJ do not follow precisely the same process or reasoning when examining the potential effects of proposed mergers. Though both agencies have the authority to proceed under the antitrust laws (as the DOJ must), the Commission generally chooses to examine proposed mergers under its Communications Act authority to grant license transfers. The act permits the Commission to grant the transfer only if the agency determines that the transaction would be in the public interest. The public interest standard is generally broader than the competition analysis authorized by the antitrust laws and conducted by the DOJ. Therefore, the Commission possesses greater latitude to examine other potential effects of a proposed merger beyond its possible effect on competition in the relevant market, and greater latitude when placing conditions upon the proposed transfer of a license than the DOJ may have when placing conditions upon the proposed merger that necessitates the license transfer.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
      "active": false,
      "formats": [
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          "format": "HTML",
          "encoding": "utf-8",
          "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/RS22940",
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          "filename": "files/20091208_RS22940_9bfd953093c51531f5a65c43289482418ad7bfc4.html",
          "images": null
        },
        {
          "format": "PDF",
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          "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RS22940",
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          "filename": "files/20091208_RS22940_15cb7faac8005895457c47c6d7928ced7778ca1d.pdf",
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        }
      ],
      "topics": []
    },
    {
      "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
      "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs10784/",
      "id": "RS22940_2008Aug20",
      "date": "2008-08-20",
      "retrieved": "2008-12-11T20:32:30",
      "title": "Merger Review Authority of the Federal Communications Commission",
      "summary": "This report will explain the merger review process at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission). Whenever companies holding licenses issued by the FCC wish to merge, the merging entities must obtain approval from two federal agencies: the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FCC. The Commission and the DOJ do not follow precisely the same process or reasoning when examining the potential effects of proposed mergers. The Act permits the Commission to grant the transfer only if the agency determines that the transaction would be in the public interest. The public interest standard is generally broader than the competition analysis authorized by the antitrust laws and conducted by the DOJ. Therefore, the Commission possesses greater latitude to examine other potential effects of a proposed merger beyond its possible effect on competition in the relevant market.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORT",
      "active": false,
      "formats": [
        {
          "format": "PDF",
          "filename": "files/20080820_RS22940_765c65b1c6ac9aaa2b8e1fb8a1fc83746745eca9.pdf"
        },
        {
          "format": "HTML",
          "filename": "files/20080820_RS22940_765c65b1c6ac9aaa2b8e1fb8a1fc83746745eca9.html"
        }
      ],
      "topics": [
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Communciations",
          "name": "Communciations"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Mass media",
          "name": "Mass media"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Mass communication",
          "name": "Mass communication"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Business",
          "name": "Business"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Law",
          "name": "Law"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Licenses",
          "name": "Licenses"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Antitrust policy",
          "name": "Antitrust policy"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Corporate mergers",
          "name": "Corporate mergers"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Government corporations",
          "name": "Government corporations"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "topics": []
}