December 17, 2015

ACA Commends McCain-Blumenthal Bill To Ban TV Sports Blackouts

PITTSBURGH, December 17, 2015 –  ACA President and CEO Matthew M. Polka issued the following statement in response to the reintroduction of the Furthering Access and Networks for Sports Act of 2015 (FANS Act) by U.S. Senators John McCain (R-Az.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Ct.):

“ACA commends U.S. Sens. John McCain (R-Az.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Ct.) on reintroducing their bill designed to shield sports fan from TV blackouts enabled by an outdated antitrust law that is being unfairly leveraged by private industry at the expense of the viewing public.

“Consumers should not have to suffer through TV sports blackouts when their tax dollars go to assist teams via funding support for stadium construction and associated public infrastructure while the teams each rake in millions of dollars in revenue a year from TV contracts.

“In making relevant adjustments to antitrust law, the FANS Act bill correctly comes to the defense of TV viewers by effectively eliminating the NFL’s TV blackout rule, by curtailing sports blackouts during contract disputes between broadcasters and cable and satellite TV distributors, and by ensuring home games are available on the Internet when the game is unavailable on television. ACA agrees with the Senators the time has come ‘to spike sports blackouts once and for all.'”

About the American Cable Association: Based in Pittsburgh, the American Cable Association is a trade organization representing nearly 850 smaller and medium-sized, independent cable companies who provide broadband services for nearly 7 million cable subscribers primarily located in rural and smaller suburban markets across America.  Through active participation in the regulatory and legislative process in Washington, D.C., ACA’s members work together to advance the interests of their customers and ensure the future competitiveness and viability of their business.  For more information, visit https://acaconnects.org/