Policyband

NAB Tells Congress to Limit NFL's Antitrust Exemption to Broadcast TV Distribution Deals

Added as a witness Tuesday, Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez says her agency is powerless to make meaningful updates to the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961

Ted Hearn

Jun 10, 2026 — 8 min read

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SBA: The head of the National Association of Broadcasters is calling on Congress to narrow the NFL’s antitrust exemption in the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 rather than repeal a law that dates back to JFK’s New Frontier. NAB CEO Curtis LeGeyt stakes out that position in testimony he is scheduled to deliver today (June 10) before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on The Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust, according to a copy of his testimony reviewed by Policyband. Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez was added as a witness on June 9. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell declined to appear. “Broadcasters are not calling for the Sports Broadcasting Act to be eliminated. The Committee should, however, reaffirm that that the SBA applies to the leagues’ negotiations with media companies that will distribute games through broadcast television, not media companies that are going to lock away games behind a streaming paywall,” LeGeyt says. (More after paywall)