Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., demanded an end to...
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., demanded an end to sports blackouts, pointing to three games that recently faced the threat of blackout. “As a result of the NFL’s arcane blackout rules, thousands of Colts, Packers, and Bengals fans had no idea…
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whether they would be able to see their home team play just hours before the playoffs kicked off,” Blumenthal said Friday in a statement, calling the uncertainty unacceptable and unfair. “The threat of a blackout is itself both injury and insult. The NFL and other sports leagues that enforce blackout policies should not be rewarded with special regulatory status, antitrust exemptions, and taxpayer subsidies.” Congress should back the Fans Act, which he introduced with Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., Blumenthal said. Rep. Brian Higgins, D-N.Y., who introduced companion legislation in the House, also on Friday slammed sports blackouts. He asked colleagues to co-sponsor the bill earlier this week. “Recently the Federal Communications Commission announced plans to repeal federal policies that support sports blackouts calling the rules ‘Obsolete’ and ‘No Longer Necessary,'” Higgins said (http://1.usa.gov/1bE6hni). “With the clock ticking, it is apparent now more than ever that it is the time for an NFL to follow suit and once-and-for all turnover forced blackouts on fans."