FCC’s Wheeler Rallies For End To NFL Blackout Rule

The FCC has scheduled a vote to determine the fate of the NFL’s TV blackout policy for September 30. “There is no better example of an FCC rule that has outlived its usefulness and deserves to be eliminated than our sports blackout rule,” Tom Wheeler, Chairman of the FCC, wrote on the agency’s blog. The rule, which bars cable networks from airing a game that has been blacked out on the local television station because it was not sold out, was enacted in 1975, when only 40 percent of games sold out and gate receipts were the largest part of the NFL’s revenue stream. “Today, the rules make no sense at all,” Wheeler said, noting that the first weekend of the 2014 NFL season this year saw every single game sell out, and more importantly the NFL dominated television ratings. Last year, Wheeler said, only two games were blacked out. “Clearly, 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,” Wheeler said. “It’s time to sack the sports blackout rule.”