Moreno Demands Answers on Google’s Plan to Hike Costs for Millions of Viewers

WASHINGTON - Yesterday, Senator Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) penned a letter to Google's Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai demanding answers on Google's plan to increase prices for millions of Hispanic viewers who rely on channels such as Univision and Telemundo on YouTube TV.

"Hasn't your company learned by now that censoring the content that subscribers have access to is potentially illegal, a terrible business practice, and has called into question your integrity and trustworthiness as an information dissemination platform that over 10 million households utilize," wrote Senator Moreno. "Such conduct also risks a need for antitrust scrutiny, as it may reflect an abuse of market power to restrict consumer choice."

Read the letter HERE or below.

September 29, 2025

Mr. Sundar Pichai
Chief Executive Officer
Google 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
Mountain View, CA 94043

Dear Mr. Pichai,

I write to request information regarding your company's decision to remove Univision and Telemundo from YouTube TV's basic television streaming platform and place Univision and Telemundo stations into a "Spanish-only" package that costs $15 more each month than the basic television streaming platform. It is my understanding that if a deal is not reached this week between your company and NBCUniversal, then roughly 10 million paid subscribers in the United States will not have access to either Hispanic broadcast network.

Google is effectively placing an 18 percent tax on millions of Hispanic customers-or worse-denying them access to services in a way that could be indicative of serious antitrust violations. This is one recent example of Google abusing its market power to silence these outlets that millions of Hispanic viewers rely on. Unfortunately, I am not surprised to learn a company owned by Google is refusing to provide vital information to its subscribers.

Just last week, your company publicly admitted that Google's COVID and election content censorship policies were wrongly put in place either at the request of or to appease the Biden Administration. You actively and intentionally removed access to certain creators' accounts and information based on the content of their speech. Hasn't your company learned by now that censoring the content that subscribers have access to is potentially illegal, a terrible business practice, and has called into question your integrity and trustworthiness as an information dissemination platform that over 10 million households utilize? Such conduct also risks a need for antitrust scrutiny, as it may reflect an abuse of market power to restrict consumer choice.

Please respond to my office no later than ten business days of receipt of this letter with the answers to the following questions:

• Will subscribers lose access to NBCUniversal's premium programming, which includes Telemundo and Univision, on September 30, 2025?
• Will subscribers lose access to NBCUniversal's premium programming, which includes Telemundo and Univision, on September 30, 2025?
• Do you think charging a Hispanic tax to Latino subscribers is acceptable?
• Do you think that eliminating access to Univision and Telemundo is "bias towards a particularly viewpoint" which you've stated is "not in line with the Company's values or the Company's business interests?
• Please provide a detailed explanation as to why your company believes this conduct does not constitute a violation of federal antitrust laws, including whether you have conducted any internal or external legal analysis to support that conclusion.

Sincerely,

BERNIE MORENO
United States Senator

See more from Senator Moreno HERE.