[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 14397]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1215
                          THE FCC AND THE NFL

  (Mr. HIGGINS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, in my western New York community, there is 
no shortage of pride for our Buffalo Bills. This was apparent yesterday 
when it was announced Terry and Kim Pegula will be the new team owners. 
The Pegulas have time and again shown their commitment to western New 
York through their ownership of the Buffalo Sabres, financing of the 
new HarborCenter development on Buffalo's Inner Harbor, and now as 
owners of the Bills, keeping the team in western New York where it 
belongs.
  This is excellent news for the team's future. Still more good news 
came for football fans yesterday when FCC Chairman Wheeler announced 
plans to consider repeal of the sports blackout rules at their next 
meeting.
  Commissioner Ajit Pai was recently in Buffalo advocating for the 
same, and it appears now that momentum is building to return the game 
to the fans who support their teams and end blackouts once and for all.
  The Federal Government certainly should not support such outdated and 
unfair practices, and I am hopeful that the FCC will end the backing of 
NFL blackout rules on September 30.

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