• Bloomberg, Thursday, September 27, 2007 10:45 AM

Google Inc. will tell a U.S. Senate panel today that its $3.1 billion purchase of DoubleClick Inc. will boost competition in online advertising. The acquisition, which would be the company's largest, is one of many mergers in the Internet advertising market, Google Chief Legal Officer David Drummond said. The deals will help make the industry healthier, spurring competition, he said.

Google, owner of the world's most popular search engine, announced plans in April to buy DoubleClick to bolster sales of Internet ads that have pictures and videos. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission began a probe in May, and European Union regulators also are reviewing the transaction. The hearing, set for today, is the first on the transaction. Microsoft Corp. General Counsel Brad Smith plans to testify in opposition to the deal.

Microsoft, the world's largest software maker, and AT&T Inc., the biggest U.S. telephone company, have said the transaction would let Google dominate the online ad market. Privacy advocates also have challenged the transaction, saying neither Google nor DoubleClick does enough to protect the data they collect from consumers online.

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