To the Editor:

Re “Roster of Stars Lets Live Nation Flex Ticket Muscles, Rivals Say” (front page, April 2):

The Obama administration was warned repeatedly that allowing the nation’s largest concert promoter to merge with its largest ticket provider would midwife an octopus that would strangle competition and squeeze consumers. Bipartisan coalitions of which I was a part practically begged regulators to halt the merger, to no avail.

Live Nation and Ticketmaster’s abuse of their monopoly power should be taken as a warning in the halls of the Justice Department. For too long, administrations of both parties have been lax in their approaches to antitrust enforcement. Americans are paying the price, as monopolies now sit atop industries across the nation.

After decades of indifference to the impact of monopolies, the government must begin to act against concentrated power.

BILL PASCRELL JR., PATERSON, N.J.