FTC Revises Antitrust Review Threshold

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"FTC Announces Revised Thresholds for Clayton Act Antitrust Reviews," the Federal Trade Commission announced Tuesday, although the reality was somewhat less breathtaking than the headline suggests.

The commission annually revises the merger value figure that triggers antitrust review. Currently, deals valued at least $66 million must be submitted for review to the FTC/Justice per the Clayton Act.

The commission has now revised that threshold to $68.2 million based on changes in the GNP. The vote to approve the change was 4-0 (the fifth FTC commissioner still awaits confirmation).

The new threshold will apply to transactions that close 30 days after publication of the change in the Federal Register.

John Eggerton
John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.