Fans coalition demands end to NFL games television blackout policy – NFL News
The blackout policy of the United States Federal Communication Commission (FCC) policy under which several professional sports competitions including the National Football League (NFL) matches are not shown on cable and Satellite
televisions is being challenged by the Sports Fans Coalition.
The coalition has demanded of the FCC to end the rules under which the games are not shown on the cable and satellite television despite that the stadiums are sold out for those games.
The coalition said that a petition to this effect, which will challenge the FFC rule and demand the agency to end such restrictions, would be filed with the Commission on 14th of this November.
“The FCC’s blackout rule simply helps to perpetuate the anti-consumer practice of withholding sporting events from fans who cannot afford tickets to games, even when those fans helped to subsidize sports through public funding,
laws and regulations,” said Brian Frederick, executive director of the Coalition.
The US FCC sports blackout policy dates back to 1975. The game being played between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Houston Texans will be the latest victim of the FCC blackout policy. The game will be kept off the cable and satellite
television.
About 8 percent of the games from the National Football League have not been shown since 2000, Brian McCarthy, a spokesman for the league said.
“The policy has been successful in striking a balance between encouraging fans to attend games and allowing the games to continue to be broadcast on free television,” McCarthy said.
The FCC is an authority that governs the communication affairs in the issue, from licensing to rules and regulations of telecoms, wireless and internet. Governing of the cable operations and satellite television is also under authority
of the Commission and the Agency can stop and grant permission to cover the events it wants and even blackout, as in case of the games from the current season of NFL.
Meanwhile, Sports Fan Coalition is a non profit organization that accepts donations from Time Warner Cable Inc. and Verizon Communication. Other groups which have signed the petition include Public knowledge and Media Access Project,
League of Fans and National Consumer League.
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