NFL to FCC: Leave Sports Blackout Rule Alone

In comments filed at the Federal Communications Commission on retransmission consent, the National Football League told the FCC not to tinker with the sports blackout rules, which prevent 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.

The Sports Fan Coalition wants the FCC to waive the rule so that viewers would have alternative outlets for league games if broadcasters pull their signals during retransmission stalemates. "[T]he Commission would allow sports fans to watch a local game they otherwise would be unable to view, while spurring the broadcast and pay-TV companies to reach a negotiated solution," the coalition argued in its initial comments in the proceeding. In reply comments filed June 27, the NFL countered that waiving the rule would "undermine the retransmission-consent regime and give cable and satellite operators excessive leverage in retransmission-consent negotiations."