| FCC Urged To End Sports Blackout Rule | | |
Monday is the deadline for public comments on a petition by the Sports Fans Coalition to rescind the rule, which bars cable and satellite systems from carrying a sporting event that is blacked out on local broadcast television stations. The rule has effectively reinforced the NFL's own policy, which blacks out games in home markets that aren't sold out 72 hours ahead of time. The agency has received about 100 comments, and an overwhelming majority favors the petition. Many argue that taxpayers have helped pay for the stadiums and should not have their home games blacked out. In a filing with the FCC Monday, the Sports Fan Coalition and other groups called the sports blackout rule "a regulatory backstop to an obnoxious and outdated league policy. ... At a time of persistently high unemployment, sluggish economic growth, and consumer uncertainty, the sports blackout rule supports blatantly anti-fan, anti-consumer behavior by professional sports leagues."
Source: Pro Football Weekly
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