(CNN) -- This weekend marks the kickoff of what millions of Americans have been looking forward to since the final minutes of Seattle's Super Bowl victory in early February -- another football season. Players, primed and ready, will take to the field, inspired to make their mark on the new season. Loyal fans, football-starved from a long offseason, will tune in to cheer on their hometown teams. No one can avoid the nervous energy that defines the start of a new season. But one thing fans should never have to worry about is whether or not this week's game will be impossible to watch due to a TV blackout.
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McCain, Blumenthal: NFL game blackouts are unfair to fans
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They say FCC should vote to end rule that permits the blackouts when stadiums aren't full
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NFL already benefits by laws that enable it to be a nonprofit, they say
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Point: Blacking out games doesn't help ticket sales
FCC
One of these rules is the Federal Communications Commission's (@placeholder) sports blackout rule, which prohibits a cable or satellite company from carrying a game that is blacked-out within the local broadcast area.
NFL
NFL
While this affects leagues beyond the @placeholder, it occurs most often when, under the NFL's rules, a home game does not sell out at least 72 hours before kickoff.
NFL
NFL
While this affects leagues beyond the NFL, it occurs most often when, under the @placeholder's rules, a home game does not sell out at least 72 hours before kickoff.
FCC
Under the @placeholder's sports blackout rule, cable and satellite companies are unable to televise that game in the local broadcast market, leaving local fans in the dark.
FCC
The @placeholder is aware of this and voted unanimously last December to propose elimination of the rule, acknowledging that the record does not support the argument that blackouts increase ticket sales and that "the sports blackout rules have become obsolete."
FCC
This is not a partisan issue, as a clear majority of @placeholder members from both political parties supports striking the rule.
NFL
NFL
It is not surprising that since the vote last December, the @placeholder has launched an expensive lobbying and public relations campaign aimed at ensuring the blackout rule stays on the books.