Will Congress PLEASE stay the hell out of the Private sector...

[insein]

Now they want to tackle the NFL for Antitrust infringement. Of all the fucking things going on in this country, hell in PA alone, Arlen Specter has this much time on his fucking hands to waste.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2662146

Congress questions NFL Network plan to air live gamesAssociated Press


WASHINGTON -- The NFL is about to start airing live regular-season games on its own network, and that has Congress a bit curious.


"We're intrigued, to put it mildly, what the NFL has in mind," Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said Tuesday at a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee.


Specter grilled NFL executive vice president and general counsel Jeffrey Pash during the 90-minute hearing on sports programming. The hearing focused on how live games on the NFL Network could affect cable and satellite rates and whether the games raise any antitrust issues in connection with the Sports Broadcasting Act.


The NFL Network will air eight live games this season, starting Thanksgiving night when the Denver Broncos play the Kansas City Chiefs. Some broadcast companies, including Time Warner, have balked at paying the higher fee the league is charging to carry the network because of the games.


Time Warner chief operating officer Landel Hobbs testified that the NFL Network's rates are "out of whack" when compared to viewership ratings.


Pash responded that the NFL Network has indeed increased its fees, but he cited the popularity of the league's product as justification. He said other NFL Network carriers -- including DirecTV, EchoStar, Comcast and Cox -- have not passed along the price increase to their customers. However, Comcast wants to start offering the network as part of a premium sports-tier package, which has sparked a legal challenge from the NFL.


Pash also noted the NFL is the only major pro sports league that broadcasts all of its games on free, over-the-air television in participants' local markets. The NFL Network games will be aired by local stations in the participating teams' markets, using the same arrangement that exists with ESPN telecasts on Monday nights.


"There's been a mass migration away from broadcast television with one exception -- the NFL -- and we still have every game on broadcast television," Pash said.


Pash said the NFL Network's offerings do not run afoul of antitrust laws because they are "pro-competitive" and expand choices for consumers. As for Specter's concern about "what the NFL has in mind" for the future, Pash said it will be several years before there can be another significant change in how games are broadcast.


"For the next six years we've got contracts with the broadcast networks," Pash said. "We've got a contract with ESPN that goes out eight, so it's not like we're going to do this, this week, and next week we're going to do three times as much. This is where we are for the foreseeable future. We'll see if it works or not. We'll see if there's consumer acceptance. We'll see if there's consumer response. If these games don't get wide distribution, if they don't get good ratings, ratings commensurate with what our other games get, if they don't get strong advertiser support, we'll have to look at an alternative."

That last part sums up Capitalism at its core. If they dont get the ratings to sell advertising, then they will have to find another way to show their programs plain and simple. Bottomline, Congress better stay the FUCK away from my NFL!!!

 

[BaronVonBigmeat]

I could sort of see the logic in antitrust legislation if we were talking about products that are necessary for survival, like food and so forth. But football?

The conventional wisdom that people know about the history of antitrust is false. Most of the big nasty trusts that were attempted in the late 1800's were busted up by smaller companies looking to get in on the action. Standard Oil couldn't hold their "monopoly", even though their highly efficient operations drove the price of oil down dramatically. The only way trusts and cartels generally work is if there are government rules/regulations/restrictions that put up barriers for new companies.

Here's an interesting article about the golden age of hollywood, and why theaters used to be awesome but now they suck. It's because film companies used to own the theaters! I'm guessing there are similar rules against auto companies owning their own dealerships directly. I can't think of any reason why they wouldn't want to, seeing as how shitty dealerships reflect so poorly on manufacturers.

 

[Hobbit]

Will Congress PLEASE stay the hell out of the Private sector...

You've got to be delusional if you think that's going to happen.

 

[insein]

You've got to be delusional if you think that's going to happen.

I know, but one can dream cant he? Bottomline is they need to stay away from my NFL.

 

[dmp]

Well, being an Eagles Fan, you don't have to worry about missing the games, right? Aren't they ACC ?Big 12? something like that now?

 

[sealybobo]

Now they want to tackle the NFL for Antitrust infringement. Of all the fucking things going on in this country, hell in PA alone, Arlen Specter has this much time on his fucking hands to waste.

congress discusses hundreds of issues. can't spend all day talking about progress when bush and boehner won't allow it. congress will hope you have enough sense to vote out the bums. but the gop knows you won't do your homework to see why its a do nothing congress. yull just blame pelosi and reed.

 

[jreeves]

Now they want to tackle the NFL for Antitrust infringement. Of all the fucking things going on in this country, hell in PA alone, Arlen Specter has this much time on his fucking hands to waste.

congress discusses hundreds of issues. can't spend all day talking about progress when bush and boehner won't allow it. congress will hope you have enough sense to vote out the bums. but the gop knows you won't do your homework to see why its a do nothing congress. yull just blame pelosi and reed.

If it's a do nothing Congress, it would be the Democrats fault correct? You know they control both houses of Congress correct?

 

[Paulie]

If it's a do nothing Congress, it would be the Democrats fault correct? You know they control both houses of Congress correct?

When he posted that, the new congress hadn't been sworn in yet. 11/15/06

But Specter is a republican, and he's also been talking about a Mitchell report style investigation ino the Patriots videotape scandal.

Neither party is innocent when it comes to wasteful endeavors, and you know it.

 

[Reality]

Um... the NFL gets an ANTITRUST EXEMPTION from congress so it can have its creepy communist salary cap system that prohibits the free exchange of services for compensation. When this portion of the private sector decides it would like to compete like normal American companies, and its service providers (being the players) compensated under the supply/demand model, then the government can stay out of it. If the league, which is nothing but an organization for the owners of each separate company (team) to collude under, wants to play by the rules the great majority of American companies play by, then they can have their privacy. Until then, stuff it.

 

[AllieBaba]

Wait till we see what they do to horse racing....they're going to start legislating on that next.

Who knows, it might be a good thing in that case.

 

[doeton]

sompin bout monopolies...hmmm...oh well..

go capitalism!!! rah! rah!

 

[Laine]

Well maybe they should come to some mutual agreement? If the private sector stays out of congress I would be fine with congress staying out of the private sector. I doubt,however, that the private sector will leave congress alone.

 

[sealybobo]

If it's a do nothing Congress, it would be the Democrats fault correct? You know they control both houses of Congress correct?

the gop knows most people don't understand how politics work....like you. most don't understand filabusters and vetos. or they don't know boehner literally walked out one day because the dems would not give the telecoms immunity.... you know what? vote for whoever you want. 70 percent of america disagrees with you. and 90 percent of the world knows you are wrong. that's because their news reports the facts.

 

[Gunny]

the gop knows most people don't understand how politics work....like you. most don't understand filabusters and vetos. or they don't know boehner literally walked out one day because the dems would not give the telecoms immunity.... you know what? vote for whoever you want. 70 percent of america disagrees with you. and 90 percent of the world knows you are wrong. that's because their news reports the facts.

It's pretty-damned scarey that people with your intellect are even allowed to vote. But post on. You sure do make your side look good. While I realize it's pretty tough to embarrass leftwingnuts, I can picture in my mind the collective liberal cringe every time they see your ID on a post.

Except Midcan. Great minds think alike.

 

[sealybobo]

It's pretty-damned scarey that people with your intellect are even allowed to vote.

ouch! good one. but seing as how your party stole fl & oh, otherwise your part hasn't won an election since bush 1, I know you are afraid. but don't be, because my party couldn't possibly fuk up as bad as your party did.

why is bush still trying to start a war with iran? nie and the world says its a bad idea.

i'll say it again. when lies become the norm, truth becomes provacative. you aren't right about one thing. I have friends like you. when we discuss, they always end up admitting I am right. THEN they usually make excuses why the gop did what they did. they admit the war is about oil. they FINALLY admit the economy is bad.

basically, I had to prove they were either lying or didn't know what they are talking about.

I love to argue with you greedy racist ignorant people. I just get frustrated that the masses are indiferent. and thanks for helping me to not come off as a ranting lunitic. I know. I have so much to say and i'm on an internet phone. I type fast and more in complete seentences when I'm on a real keyboard.

but make no mistake, ppl like you are what's wrong with america. remember we all agreed not to sell US ports to dubai? man we can get a lot done when we realize its rich vs poor, not blue vs red. if you aint rich and you vote gop, you are clueless.

watch cnn intl. oh you can't get it? that's because 5 companies own all our media and they are gop and brainwashing you.

example, hardball this week is talking about NOTHING and olbermann is talking about obama's patriotism. joke, like you.

 

[sealybobo]

ps. I heard exxon advertises on countdown with keith olbermann? that's a conflict of interest. howz he gonna report the truth if it is negative?

and he's prob. the most liberal show on tv.

 

[matty]

You've got to be delusional if you think that's going to happen.

Your Dad sounds cool.