SHERROD BROWN
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AGRICULTURE, NUTRmON,
AND FOftESTRY
BANKING, HOUSING,
AND URBAN AFFAIRS
HEALTH, EOUCAnON,
LABOR, AND PENSIONS
VETERANS' AfFAIRS
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WASHINGTON, DC 20510
NO\'cmber 23, 2011
'Inc HononbleJulius Genachowski
Cha.i.rnum of the Federal Communications Commission
Washington, DC 20554
Dear Chairman Genachowski:
This holiday weekend, the Cincinnati llengals and Cleveland Browns will play against one
another in a highly anticipated ri\Talty game. Countless Ohioans are eagerly planning co gather with
family and friends to watch this game, but wiU be deprived of the chance to watch the Bengals and
the Browns on local television due to the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) sports
blackout rule. The FCC's blackout policies permit broadcasters to black Qut home games that are
not sold out within 72 hours of the game in local television matkets. Due to this rule, only one home
game has been tek'Vised in Cincinnati and Dayton this entire season, despite the fact that the
Bcngals play in a stadium that cost Ohio ta;\.-payers over 5450 million.
\'qhije I understand that the blackout rule was designed to help sell tickets, I believe that this
rule should be reexamined. During these difficult times, families are struggling to make ends meet.
The avenge cost of a ticket to an NFL game is neady ten times the hourly minimum wage. As a
result, attending any NFL game is simply cost prohibitive for many Ohioans. This problem will
likely become worse as ticket costs increase.
Given these considerations, I urge you to allow public comment on the pending petition to
cnd this rule. Our state's NFL teams have long served as a source of pride for many Ohioans, and 1
am deeply troubled that too many Ohioans will not be able to watch and roar for their teams on
local television. I ask you to revisit this rule and to allow the Americans who have been prevented
from watching their teams play, the opportunity to publicly comment on the sports blackout rule.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to yow response.
Sherrod Brown
Unired States Senator
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