Acting FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel told a troubled senator that the FCC does not have the authority to get involved in the carriage dispute between a broadcaster and streaming service, in this case Disney’s Hulu Plus Live TV streaming service and Sinclair, over access to the latter’s regional sports networks. That came in a letter responding to Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, who asked the FCC to help facilitate a resolution of the dispute “promptly and impartially.”
Sens. Sherrod Brown, Richard Blumenthal and Rep. Brian Higgins have praised the league owners’ recent decision to let teams decide whether local TV broadcasters can air games if the stadium is at least 85% full. The original NFL rule had required broadcasters to black out the games if the local team did not sell out the stadium.
