Congress examines network

Wed., Nov. 15, 2006

Associated Press The Spokesman-Review

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.

Pash said the NFL Network’s offerings do not run afoul of antitrust laws because they are “pro-competitive” and expand choices for consumers.

Patriots install FieldTurf

The New England Patriots began installing a synthetic field surface to be used in time for their next home game, Nov. 26 against Chicago.

Heavy equipment scraped the grass and leveled the dirt beneath it in preparation for the installation of FieldTurf, which has become increasingly popular around the NFL.

Around the league

Jason Campbell will make his NFL debut Sunday for the Washington Redskins, replacing quarterback Mark Brunell. … Houston Texans offensive lineman Fred Weary was shot with a Taser before being arrested after a traffic stop. … The Philadelphia Eagles’ game at Indianapolis on Nov. 26 has been rescheduled from 10 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. PST under the NFL’s new flexible scheduling policy. Two other games on that date were also switched from 10 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. on Fox – Chicago at New England and the New York Giants at Tennessee. … The Carolina Panthers’ 24-10 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was the least-watched Monday night NFL telecast, less than last week’s figures – the previous low for “Monday Night Football.”

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Congress examines network

Patriots install FieldTurf

Around the league

Jesse Tinsley

Jim Meehan

Molly Quinn

Rob Curley

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