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The FCC has voted to end the NFL blackout rule — which means absolutely nothing to anyone here in Utah.

But it underlines how better TV availability and production have made fans less anxious to go through the hassle of attending games in favor of sitting at home in front of their big screens.

And that's a problem not just in the NFL, but in college football — including in Provo.

The five members of the Federal Communications Commission voted unanimously to end the decades-old NFL blackout rule, which allowed the league to block local broadcasts if the home team didn't sell out 72 hours before kickoff.

Utah doesn't have an NFL team, so it doesn't affect us. It doesn't affect much of anybody, actually — only two (.78 percent) out of 256 games were blacked out last season, down from nearly 60 percent in 1975.

And this doesn't necessarily mean an end to blackouts. The NFL and broadcasters can still decide to continue the same policy without a mandate from the FCC.

"It's a simple fact," said FCC chairman Tom Wheeler, "The federal government should not be party to sports teams keeping their fans from viewing the games, period."

Agreed.

There are threats in Congress to end the NFL's anti-trust exemptions if it continues the blackouts. And it's been suggested that if the NFL wants to fill stadiums, perhaps it should lower exorbitant ticket prices.

Agreed.

The average price for an NFL ticket this season is $84.83, and that's not counting outrageos costs for everything from parking to hotdogs

Given the huge revenue streams from multi-billion dollar TV contracts, revenue from ticket sales is far less important. Fans in the stands are becoming little more than TV props, so the NFL can afford to charge them less.

Tickets prices are less steep in college football, but fans are becoming TV props there as well. College football attendance has been in decline since 2008. There are plenty of reasons for that, but TV is one of them — as well documented by The Tribune's Jay Drew in a recent story about declining attendance at BYU.

Tickets prices are a fraction of NFL costs. You can get a BYU season ticket for $110, which is $18.33 a game.

But BYU has prioritized TV exposure over ticket buyers. And, no, that's not a criticism.

BYU has made it easier for fans locally and nationally to see the Cougars on TV. That's good for BYU in many ways, from getting the team into the polls to giving the team, the university and its owner the exposure they crave.

Thursday, Friday and Saturday night games are great for TV viewers; they're considerably less appealing for fans who have to get to and from the stadium. Late starts in November aren't a problem if you're chillin' on your couch; they're a problem if you're freezing in your stadium seat.

And, while college football isn't alone in this, you have a better idea of what's happening on the field if you're watching ESPN than if you're watching from the stands in Provo. Particularly when there's any sort of controversial play and the Powers That Be at BYU decline to use those big screens at either end of the stadium to show fans a replay.

It makes no sense to give ticket buyers a worse experience than TV viewers if you can possibly avoid it.

Unless fans in the stand really are such a low priority.

Scott D. Pierce covers television for The Salt Lake Tribune. Email him at spierce@sltrib.com; follow him on Twitter: @ScottDPierce.