FCC Rules End to TV Blackouts by NFL

FCC rules end to TV blackouts WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Communications Commission has voted to end the decades-old rule preventing cable and satellite operators from airing sports events that were blacked out on local TV.

The commission says the rule was outdated and unnecessary. It was originally adopted to help boost ticket sales in the 1970s.

This may not spell the end to sports blackouts.

The NFL would still be able to privately negotiate its own rules with cable and satellite companies that would not have the backing of the federal government.