FCC rebuked in NFL Case

An administrative judge is set to rebuke the Federal Communications Commission Thursday over a case involving the National Football League's complaint that Comcast won't carry its channel on its most popular tier of service. The decision is a blow to the NFL, which has tried to expand the audience of its fledgling NFL Network. Last month the FCC signaled its intentions of siding against Comcast. In a decision expected to be released Thursday, an FCC administrative law judge essentially tossed the agency's preliminary decision and said a full hearing will be needed to sort out the facts. In the decision, the FCC administrative judge wrote that "the 'facts' and 'conclusions' recited in the [agency's decision] will not be considered as binding on the presiding judge" and that a full hearing will be required before he can make a ruling.