BLOW IT OUT YER A$$!
Posted on 12/07/2006 6:07:31 PM PST by MikefromOhio
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The National Football League's ability to negotiate exclusive sports packages is under fire from the outgoing chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., twice said he would introduce legislation in the next session aimed at eliminating the league's freedom from antitrust laws.
Specter said the NFL should not use the exemption to negotiate exclusive programming packages such as DirectTV Inc.'s "Sunday Ticket," which allows viewers to watch teams outside their regional market.
"As I look at what the NFL is doing today with the NFL channel with the DirectTV ... a lot of people, including myself, would like to be able to have that ticket," Specter said.
But the 1961 law that gives the NFL this freedom should not apply to DirectTV because it is not "sponsored programming," said Stephen Ross, a law professor at Pennsylvania State University and chair of the school's sports law institute. He said the Pennsylvania senator could be using the threat of legislation to pressure the NFL to make changes voluntarily.
Access to out-of-market football games was one of many consumer fairness issues addressed during the hearing. Another hot topic was whether cable providers should be forced to share sports broadcasting rights with every service provider in an area.
(Excerpt) Read more at sportsillustrated.cnn.com ...
That was between the team and the city I believe.
He seems to need a lot of attention...
I don't think Santorum was going to win either way.
Pennsylvania has shifted pretty far to the left in recent years.....
God help us all.
Someone isn't getting their campaign contribution kickbacks.
I guess he hasnt got much to do now that he cant screw with the Presidents nominees.
LOL
Ya know, that's the first thing that entered my mind. They didn't lobby him for something and now he's trying to show them that he's still relevant.
Or something...
Trying to figure out Specter is convoluted sometimes...
"Leave my Sunday Ticket alone" said to the tune of the movie "Blast from the past" only way I get to watch my Raiders in VA
So this is what they're like when they're the minority party...
The answer to why Arlen is doing this can be found in the final quote.
He is doing Comcast's bidding.
Comcast owns Philly - he and Fast Eddie are both in their pocket. Comcast is pi$$ed that they can't get a chunk of the Sunday Ticket money for themselves, since the NFL does not make it available on cable (instead selling exclusive rights to DirecTV.)
Since they can't make a deal with the NFL, they are instead siccing their favorite Washington attack dog on them.
Nothing new under the sun - especially with regards to Philly politics.
BLOW IT OUT YER A$$!
See ya, Mr Outgoing......,,,
loser, waste of oxygen, POS........
Wonderful.
I knew there was a reason I hate Comcast's commercials.
I guess there's nothing for Sen. Specter to work on now that the Iraq Surrender Group has solved all of the world's problems!
I am a little conflicted on this issue, because I think that by allowing DirecTV to have Sunday Ticket exclusive of other providers, and by allowing Sirius to have the NFL games exclusive of XM Radio, and by allowing EA Sports to have the NFL players license exclusively over all other game programmers, the NFL is helping to create de facto monopolies in those areas. That leads to higher prices. There is no way NFL Sunday Ticket should cost as much as it does, but DirecTV is able to charge whatever they want to for it because it has a monopoly in that area.
Hell yeah.....
They may as well not exist without those sports packages. The days of a zillion TVs with any game you want to see would be a thing of the past. My guess is that some cable lobbyist has lined Specter's pockets and his people called the Dish lobbyists, and didn't get as much money.
I long for the day when we as a nation all at once just refuse to pay federal taxes and reduce people like Arlen Specter to the relevancy of a dog catcher.
It's the NFL's product, they can do whatever they want with it.
People are certainly free to start another league or not watch it. It isn't as if the NFL is required to live life or anything.
He shouldn't be going after the NFL.
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