FCC's Pai Urges End To Sports Blackout Rules

A Republican on the Federal Communications Commission is pressuring the agency to scrap rules that keep sporting events off television, according to The Hill.

During a speech in Buffalo, N.Y., on Tuesday, FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai called on the agency to hold a vote to remove the rules, which keep cable and satellite companies from airing games if those games are blacked out on local broadcast stations.

The FCC voted unanimously late last year to consider removing the rules.

“I hope my fellow FCC Commissioners will join me in voting to eliminate” the sports blackout rule, he said.

Pai railed against the rules, which largely affect football fans; the National Football League requires local broadcasters to black out games with a certain number of unsold seats.

“The FCC shouldn’t get involved in handing out special favors or picking winners and losers,” he said.

“And in my view, there is no reason for the FCC to be involved in the sports blackout business. ... Our job is to serve the public interest, not the private interests of team owners.”

Lawmakers have been increasingly pressuring the FCC to remove its rules.

Read More Now