Fans Petition FCC to Lift Sports Blackout Rule

The Media Access Project (MAP) and Public Knowledge have joined the Sports Fan Coalition in petitioning the Federal Communications Commission to lift its sports blackout rule.

"We promote access to the media and the rule stifles access," said MAP's Andrew Schwartzman. 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.

"This is the biggest organized effort in decades to put an end to the federal government's support for anti-consumer blackouts," Sports Fans Coalition executive director Brian Frederick said. "It is ridiculous that the leagues continue to black out games from their own fans after taking in massive public subsidies, during such difficult economic times, and even more ridiculous that the federal government props up this practice through the Sports Blackout Rule." "Eliminating the Sports Blackout Rule 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," said the groups in their petition for rulemaking. "Without a regulatory subsidy from the federal government in the form of the Sports Blackout Rule, sports leagues would be forced to confront the obsolescence of their blackout policies and could voluntarily curtail blackouts."