AT&T, DirecTV announce $49 billion merger - The Washington Post

 Cecilia Kang, Published: May 18

The deal is the latest mega-merger to be announced this year in a dramatically shifting telecommunications industry. The titans of the industry have recently rushed to bulk up — in overall size and in diversity of service offerings — as their legacy phone and TV businesses have frayed and consumers have turned to the Internet for communication and entertainment.

The deals, which must be approved by federal regulators, have prompted new concern that consumers could be left with fewer options and even higher prices after years of creeping increases. In 2012, U.S. cable-TV bills increased 5.1 percent, to an average of $64 a month, triple the rate of inflation, according to a government report.