[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 17 (Thursday, February 2, 2012)]
[House]
[Page H385]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       NFL BLACKOUT UNACCEPTABLE

  (Mr. HIGGINS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, on Sunday, tens of millions of Americans 
will gather with family and friends to watch the Super Bowl. Many from 
my western New York community will be among them. Unfortunately, 
western New York families do not always have the opportunity to watch 
their hometown team, the Buffalo Bills.
  The NFL's blackout rule prohibits the broadcast of a game in a team's 
home market if the game has not been sold out within 72 hours of the 
kickoff. In Buffalo, this meant that this past season almost half of 
the Bills games were blacked out. This is unacceptable. We have a 
strong and enthusiastic fan base; but with one of the largest football 
stadiums in the National Football League, Buffalo must sell 6,000 more 
tickets than the league's average to avoid a blackout.
  I have sent a letter to NFL Commissioner Goodell, along with my 
colleagues Congresswoman Kathy Hochul, Congressman Ross, and 
Congresswoman Brown, asking for an end to this unfair policy. It is 
time for the league to update this regulation, taking into account 
factors like stadium and media market size and, most importantly, the 
tough financial situation millions of families across the Nation find 
themselves in.

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