http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/12/18/fcc-moves-to-end-sports-blackouts/
The Federal Communications Commission is proposing to eliminate sports blackouts, according to a just-released document.
Televised sporting events can be blacked out in a given market if the event is not available on a local station. When the rule was written, the idea was that having the game on TV could hurt ticket sales.
In its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, the FCC says the law might be outdated -- especially given the financial success of the major sports leagues -- and asks if it has the authority to change the rules without Congress's approval.
"The sports industry has changed dramatically in the last 40 years ... and the Petitioners argue that the economic rationale underlying the sports blackout rules may no longer be valid," the FCC says.
Separately, a group of senators has been pushing to eliminate antitrust protection for sports leagues who include extensive blackout provisions in their contracts.
The NFL is the league most affected by the blackout rule, given that all of its games are broadcast by nationwide TV stations and not local ones. In markets where ticket sales struggle, businesses or wealthy individuals might step in at the last moment and buy enough tickets to keep the games on TV.
The proposed rule change would not prevent teams from negotiating blackout rules with cable and satellite operators.