AT&T facing opposition to Time Warner deal over competition fears

AT&T's attempted acquisition of Time Warner will face a number of obstacles from rivals, lawmakers and antitrust authorities in the US, threatening the $85.4bn

Several members of Congress and industry groups from media and telecommunications, as well as both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton's presidential campaigns, expressed concern regarding the deal, which was announced by AT&T on Saturday evening.

If the purchase was to go ahead, it would create one of the largest media companies in the US and globally, and fears have been expressed that it would have too much control in the market.

At a presidential campaign rally in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on Saturday, before the deal had even been announced, Trump said that the deal had the potential to "destroy democracy".

While Hillary Clinton has not yet spoken specifically on the subject, a spokesperson for her campaign said that she had concerns, without fully coming out against it.

"There are a number of questions and concerns that rise in that vein about this announced deal but there is still a lot of information that needs to come out before any conclusion should be reached," Brian Fallon told reporters.

AT&T has history of having deals blocked by authorities, after its attempted purchase of T-Mobile US was halted in 2011.

Chief executive of the company, Randall Stephenson, has played down the effect of regulators on the deal, but resigned that it was likely to face an investigation.

"It is going to have to go through a regulatory review process that is dictated by rules, regulations and laws," Stephenson told The Wall Street Journal. "I can't control what the politicians say and feel about it."