"Fans of the Buffalo Bills and other teams frequently subjected to television blackout rules soon may get a reprieve -- and critics of the rules are encouraging fans to make their voices heard in support of changes in a longtime federal policy that prevents satellite and cable broadcasters from airing games that are not sold out.

Doing so could make a difference as the Federal Communications Commission considers altering or eliminating its four-decade-old blackout rules, said Brian Frederick, executive director of the Sports Fans Coalition.

"For the next month, fans will have the opportunity to speak up about blackouts and actually be heard," Frederick said on his organization's website this week.

The FCC announced last week that it is reconsidering its rule that forces cable and satellite TV providers to black out sporting events if games don't sell out. Rep. Brian Higgins, D-Buffalo, also asked fans to contact the federal agency to tell officials what they think.

"I sent a letter to the FCC chairman asking that he eliminate this unfair rule, which does not provide for individual solutions to different local markets," said Higgins, D-Buffalo. "The FCC has opened a public comment period on this matter, and I urge fans who feel similarly to do the same."

The NFL's television contracts bar local stations from airing games that are not sold out 72 hours before kickoff. Since 1973, the FCC has had a rule in place that bars cable and satellite broadcasters from airing games locally if they are not sold out.

But FCC Commissioner Robert M. McDowell said in a statement that it's time to take a fresh look at that rule."