From CNN “Senate looking at Google-DoubleClick“:

Lawmakers in Congress plan to hold hearings to air concerns about Google Inc.’s proposed acquisition of Web advertising supplier DoubleClick Inc. The Senate’s antitrust subcommittee is planning a hearing this autumn to delve into how the combination of the companies will affect competition in the market for Internet advertising, a source familiar with the plans said Wednesday.

According to The New York Times, a House subcommittee on consumer privacy has also opened investigations and plans to hold a hearing. While no dates have been given for either hearing, most sources seem to point to a fall timetable. It should be noted that even though Congress is free to hold hearings and investigate anything they want, they have no say in the final regulatory decision.

Of course… that’s a theoretical “no say”. If we know one thing about politics it’s that few interactions truly follow the theoretical approach.

Just yesterday I talked about Scott Cleland’s report suggesting that the FTC will ultimately block the Google/DoubleClick merger. With Congress stepping in, there may be more fuel thrown on the fire. Even without the power to directly make a decision in the matter, Congress can (and often does) exert influence on regulatory agencies. After all… Capitol Hill holds the purse strings.

I still think it’s highly likely that the deal will go through, especially given the tension between the Executive (FTC) and Legislative (Congress) branches of the government these days.

The main thing that this development says to me is that Congress has taken notice of our friends in Mountain View. No longer is Google just some geeky company that helps you find LOLcats and Viagra. They are a huge, powerful company that warrants closer inspection. I doubt this is the last time the government decides to have a say in what Big G is doing.

What do you think? Is there any real threat to Google from government scrutiny? Does Congress really have any influence over the FTC’s decision?