Senators Ask FCC Chairwoman Clyburn to Issue NPRM on Sports Blackout Rule

In a letter to Acting Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn, Sens John McCain (R-Z) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) ask the FCC to act on a longstanding petition to lift its sports blackout rule.

The rule prevents cable or satellite providers from carrying an NFL game when the over-the-air broadcast is blacked out due to lack of attendance at the game. In October 2011, the Sports Fan Coalition asked the FCC to lift the ban, saying it would be a "pro-fan, pro-consumer, deregulatory action serving the public interest by expanding the availability of sports to the public without adding any regulatory compliance costs to the private sector."