The merger is a good point. Assuming that the commissioners (not just Carr) were to participate in such a scheme. But this type of indirect regulatory pressure wouldn’t be new. Many tech companies implemented government directed online censorship (for example on COVID related topics) because they were worried about antitrust actions.
Edit: can’t reply to comment below me but that quote is referring to the instances where the company pushed back. It’s not saying they didn’t comply at all - they absolutely did on many instances, and Zuckerberg admitted guilt over it. See later quote:
> “I also think we made some choices that, with the benefit of hindsight and new information, we wouldn’t make today,” he said, without elaborating. “We’re ready to push back if something like this happens again.”
