Group Of U.S. Senators Approach FCC About NFL's Blackout Policy

We've been keeping an eye on the developments of the actions of certain parties that oppose the NFL's "Blackout rule". About a month ago, the FCC came out and said that they will reconsider the policy this offseason because of the many complaints from fans. Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown has been the most public figure in opposition to this policy and has been active in gathering support to his cause. After all, Cincinnati was responsible for six of the 16 total blackouts in 2011.

Despite that report from the FCC a few weeks back, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell proclaimed that the league is standing firm with the rule, claiming that the blackouts "have served the league well over the years" and "they want the stadiums filled." As it currently stands, the league works with the FCC to enact the policy.

Senator Brown has apparently been successful in garnering support to end the blackout rule, as four other U.S. Senators recently wrote a letter with Brown to the FCC.

Joining Brown were Senators Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Tom Harkin of Iowa, Debbie Stabenow of Michigan and Frank Lautenburg of New Jersey, respectively.

"These blackouts are ruining the experience of rooting for the home team and are unjustly hurting fans," the senators wrote. "That many of these stadiums were constructed or remodeled using taxpayer dollars underscores the disservice done to fans by blackouts."

We'll see if this banding together of Senators against this cause will actually sway the FCC to ultimately rule against the blackout policy. It's obviously another step in the process of a group representing the interests of their respective constituencies. You can find the full letter from the five Senators here (courtesy of Profootballtalk.com).

You can also find out more about the blackout rule and its effects from www.endblackouts.com, a site run by Cincy Jungle friend, Brian Frederick.