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FCC unanimously rejects NFL's blackout rules

Well, that didn't take long. We reported yesterday that the FCC was taking aim at sports blackout rules this week, and today the Commission voted to nix the "unnecessary and outdated regulations." For nearly four decades, policies kept pay-TV providers from airing games blacked out on local stations. The rules also prevented that latter group from showing NFL matchups that failed to sell out at least 72 hours ahead of time. Now that the NFL no longer relies on ticket sales to drive revenue, the rules have been repealed to further eliminate blackouts for local viewers. As the press release notes, current over-the-air network contracts run through 2022 (FOX, CBS, and NBC), so the NFL won't likely make the jump to cable and satellite any time soon. If it so chooses, the league can create a private blackout policy (like MLB, for example), but it will no longer be afforded the protection of the government to do so. "Instead, the NFL must rely on the same avenues available to other entities that wish to protect their distribution rights in the private marketplace," the PR details.

[Photo credit: Bob Levey/Getty Images]