1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to scrutinize-and if necessary block any media merger that would concentrate control of major American news organizations in the hands of a small group of politically connected billionaires. Reports that Paramount(CBS News), backed by tech billionaire Larry Ellison, has made a hostile bid for Warner Bros. Discovery raise precisely these concerns. This is not just another corporate deal. It is part of a broader pattern in which wealthy insiders seek influence over media outlets that have been critical of those in power. It’s even more concerning when Ellison is also involved in the deal to buy TikTok. Americans across the political spectrum reject monopolies, rigged markets, and censorship by elites. Yet media consolidation allows exactly that: fewer owners, fewer viewpoints, and more pressure on journalists to fall in line. When media outlets become dependent on politically aligned owners, criticism is chilled—not by law, but by fear. This is how authoritarian systems operate. They maintain the appearance of free speech while quietly narrowing the range of acceptable debate. The result is a public that believes it is free, while being systematically denied unfiltered information. Congress has a responsibility to prevent this outcome. That means: enforcing antitrust laws as written; holding hearings on the democratic and national consequences of media concentration; updating laws if weaknesses are found; ensuring regulatory agencies are fully staffed, funded and empowered; and ensuring agencies are not used to reward allies or punish critics. The American people do not want an oligarch-controlled press, a single approved narrative, or a media system that serves power instead of the public. I urge you to act now to ensure that antitrust laws are being enforced to preserve the open marketplace of ideas, free speech, competition, and independence.