Tampa, Florida -- If you're tired of Tampa Bay Buccaneers games being blacked out, you're not alone. In fact, the federal government is taking what some see as the first step toward lifting all NFL blackouts.
NFL rules state that games must be blacked out in the home television market if they are not sold out 72 hours before kickoff. This past season, only two Bucs home games aired on local TV, and one of those "home" games was played in Europe.
Pressure from no less than five consumer groups has the Federal Communications Commission considering a petition to rescind the NFL's decades-old blackout rules. On Friday, the FCC started taking public comment on the issue, which is widely considered a first step in that direction.
State Senator Mike Fasano (R-New Port Richey) says he welcomes the FCC's action, and has already introduced a bill of his own at the state level. Fasano's proposal would slap a $125,000 fine on teams in Florida that black out their games.
He says it's only fair, since the teams receive thousand in tax incentives each year, and often play in venues that are paid for with public tax dollars.
"They should at least have the opportunity to watch their team play when that team is playing at the stadium that they helped build," Fasano says.
Fasano claims the blackout policy is outdated, that it was created at a time when teams needed a financial tool to force fans into the stadiums. With multi-billion dollar television deals, he says it's no longer necessary.
"Supporters can't watch their hometown team when they play at home, and in my opinion, that's just unconscionable. That's wrong."
The FCC will hear public comments through February 13. Then the NFL and others get two weeks to respond, and the government makes up its mind some time after that.
The Buccaneers gave no comment to 10 News, instead referring to the NFL's statement, which said only 16 games were blacked out this season.
Of course, six of those just happened to be Bucs games.