A group of Senate Democrats is urging the FCC chair to conduct a “rigorous” review of Paramount’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, arguing the deal could grant foreign investors unusual influence and raise national security concerns. The senators say the FCC should not simply approve the transaction as a routine matter while the merger faces reviews from multiple antitrust authorities.
In their letter, the lawmakers—led by Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.)—point to the role of foreign investment funds backing the pact. Multiple outlets report that Paramount has disclosed that foreign ownership of the combined company would total about 49.5%, including roughly 38.5% tied to investment funds based in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi. Democrats characterize that level of foreign participation as potentially unprecedented and contend it should trigger heightened scrutiny.
Both sources describe the senators’ position as focusing on how foreign government-linked capital could affect the merged company, framing their request to the FCC as a safeguard for national security and related policy concerns as the merger proceeds through regulatory review.
