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Measurement

The $1,500 Problem: Our Case to the FCC on Live Sports Access

By Tim Rowe | Mar 27, 2026

Viewers are not only required to pay for these subscriptions, but are also required to pay for broadband internet connection.

On March 26, 2026, State of Streaming submitted formal comments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in response to its inquiry into the state of live sports broadcasting and distribution (MB Docket No. 26-45).

We kept the filing deliberately lean. You won't find a wall of industry citations or a bibliography designed to signal expertise. That an intentional design and wonderfully executed by our Editorial Lead, Nicholas Cardoso.

Regulatory comments work best when they clarify a problem rather than perform authority. The FCC asked a direct question — how is the migration of live sports to streaming platforms affecting the public interest? — and we wanted to answer it directly. Census data on internet access. Consumer research on subscription fatigue. The math on what it actually costs a household to watch its home team. Nothing speculative, nothing we couldn't tie to a specific, verifiable number.

We also chose plain language over legal convention. These comments aren't written for telecom lawyers. They're written for the record — and for the fans, local broadcasters, and policymakers who need the problem stated cleanly enough to act on. Objectivity here is a utility. The moment advocacy sounds like advocacy, the reader's filter goes up. We'd rather the data do the arguing.

The full filing can be read below comments are due today.

FCC Comments: Live Sports Broadcasting (MB Docket No. 26-45)

Credit: State of Streaming

Key Takeaways

  • NFL games alone were spread across 10 streaming services in 2025, pushing the total cost for a complete sports fan past $1,500 a year.
  • Nearly one in five low-income American households lack internet access entirely, making streaming-exclusive sports broadcasts functionally invisible to them.
  • State of Streaming urged the FCC to modernize the Sports Broadcasting Act and protect free, over-the-air access to home team games.