Six lawmakers praised the FCC for scheduling a...

represent,” said Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Cory Booker, D-N.J., Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, and John McCain, R-Ariz., along with Rep. Brian Higgins, D-N.Y., in a letter dated Wednesday to Chairman Tom Wheeler (http://1.usa.gov/1rNKGRZ). Fans attend NFL games “because viewing at home is no substitute for the game day experience in and around the stadium,” they said. While the decision to end blackouts is ultimately up to the NFL and TV networks, federal rules shouldn’t encourage such an outdated and insulting policy, they said. The order is expected to get a unanimous approval by the commission this month (CD Sept 11 p2). But repeal of the rule would function like a regressive tax, “imposing the greatest burden on Americans who are most vulnerable to rising cable bills,” said Hal Singer, a senior fellow at the Progressive Policy Institute. Wheeler intimates that by rescinding the rule, local blackouts could be wiped out, Singer said in a blog post (http://bit.ly/1ACTZst) in response to Wheeler’s USA Today op-ed (CD Sept 10 p19). Eliminating the rule would change the value of the package of Sunday daytime football telecasts for broadcasters, said Singer, who submitted economic testimony for the NFL in the proceeding. With exclusivity, “the telecast rights are worth a lot less to the broadcasters,” he said. It’s naive for policymakers to assume that the NFL, or any firm, will do anything but engage in profit-maximizing behavior, he said.