FCC chairman says they’ll vote Sept. 30 to kill blackout rule

[BLeonard]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/09/09/fcc-chairman-says-theyll-vote-sept-30-to-kill-blackout-rule/



In an op-ed written for USA Today, Federal Communications Commission chairman Tom Wheeler said that the agency would vote on Sept. 30 to kill the television blackout rule which the league has fought to protect.

“With the first weekend of professional football in the books, two things should be abundantly clear,” Wheeler wrote. “The NFL is king; and the Federal Communication Commission’s sports blackout rules are obsolete and have to go.”


As if the team sale news wasn't good enough...

-Bill

[better days]

What a GREAT September this has been.

Kelly is Cancer free, The Bills won against the Bears, Pegula is buying the Bills, & if this passes, WOW!

Maybe our luck has finally changed.

[stuckincincy]

I read the full article. Here it is:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2014/09/09/wheeler-fcc-nfl-blackout-rule-obsolete-column/15300147/

Non-elected government workers have no business issuing opinion pieces. When they do, it's usually an exercise in public choice theory:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_choice

Mr. Wheeler states:

..."Today, we are blowing the whistle on this anti-fan practice. The NFL should no longer be able to hide behind government rules that punish loyal fans, which is why I am sending to my fellow commissioners a proposal to get rid of the FCC's blackout rules once and for all. It fulfills a commitment I made in June. We will vote on the proposal on September 30."...

and

..."The bottom line is the NFL no longer needs the government's help to remain viable. And we at the FCC shouldn't be complicit in preventing sports fans from watching their favorite teams on TV. It's time to sack the sports blackout rules for good."...

So he defines favorite teams as the current 32 that comprise the NFL. Says they don't need government help. I agree. But he didn't go on and attack the protectionism the NFL is afforded by their anti-trust status, which would seem to logically follow.

Why not?

[YardRat]

Ticket sales have become so irrelevant in the grand scheme of overall revenue that it really is an outdated practice.

[Historian]

True Rat...the 1987 strike proved that.

[OpIv37]

I read the full article. Here it is:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2014/09/09/wheeler-fcc-nfl-blackout-rule-obsolete-column/15300147/

Non-elected government workers have no business issuing opinion pieces. When they do, it's usually an exercise in public choice theory:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_choice

Mr. Wheeler states:

..."Today, we are blowing the whistle on this anti-fan practice. The NFL should no longer be able to hide behind government rules that punish loyal fans, which is why I am sending to my fellow commissioners a proposal to get rid of the FCC's blackout rules once and for all. It fulfills a commitment I made in June. We will vote on the proposal on September 30."...

and

..."The bottom line is the NFL no longer needs the government's help to remain viable. And we at the FCC shouldn't be complicit in preventing sports fans from watching their favorite teams on TV. It's time to sack the sports blackout rules for good."...

So he defines favorite teams as the current 32 that comprise the NFL. Says they don't need government help. I agree. But he didn't go on and attack the protectionism the NFL is afforded by their anti-trust status, which would seem to logically follow.

Why not?

Because the FCC has no control over anti-trust status. Commenting in either direction would only piss people off.

[Novacane]

I never knew it was an FCC rule. I just thought it was the NFL's rule.

[casdhf]

Something tells me we won't have any blackouts this season either way.

[OpIv37]

I never knew it was an FCC rule. I just thought it was the NFL's rule.

I'm not 100% sure but I believe it's an NFL rule that needs FCC approval.

[stuckincincy]

Something tells me we won't have any blackouts this season either way.

Dunno - even with opting into that 85% thing, CIN hasn't yet sold out their home opener.

I remember last season, when the CIN, GB, and IND playoff games went down to the wire.