Satellite and telcoTV providers have long been annoyed with the fact that some cable companies withhold access to cable-company owned regional sports channels. In New York, Cablevision withholds access to the channel from competitors like U-Verse, Dish and FiOSTV in order to prevent sports fans from migrating. In Philadelphia, Comcast does the same thing with their SportsNet Philadephia channel, and by proxy, Philly has some of the lowest satellite TV subscription rates in the nation.

Under Federal law, cable companies are required to lease channels they own to competitors at "reasonable" rates. But sloppy wording in the law has been manipulated by cable industry lawyers to exempt channels delivered via terrestrial ground lines and not satellite feeds. Last year AT&T and Verizon lobbyists really began pushing the FCC to put an end to it, even going so far as to use your complaints in our forums as ammunition in filings.

When AT&T and Verizon wants something, the FCC usually marches quickly toward that goal -- and fortunately in this instance that goal is also good for TV viewers. Today the FCC issued an order (pdf) that should ultimately put an end to such practices among cable carriers by finally closing the "terrestrial loophole." The order was passed by a vote of 4 to 1, the one dissension coming from Commissioner Robert McDowell, who issued a five page statement (pdf) arguing that the Communications Act doesn't give the FCC authority to make such changes.