Tammy Baldwin

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) - U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin met with local sports bar owners in Eau Claire on Friday to promote her “For the Fans Act,” a piece of legislation aimed at tackling rising sports streaming costs and eliminating broadcast blackouts for local games.

The proposed bill would require streaming services and leagues to provide free, live viewing options for fans within their home states. Under the legislation, if a consumer pays for a streaming service that promises local games, the provider must broadcast the event in the team’s home state, regardless of exclusive streaming agreements.

“In the home state, fans should be able to watch the games live for free,” Baldwin (D-Wis.) said. “Now, it doesn’t mean the teams and the leagues can’t make money. You can have advertising on the service that they provide... But the fans should be able to watch the games. Plain and simple.”

Baldwin noted that sports fans who want to follow Wisconsin teams like the Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Brewers, and Milwaukee Bucks face fragmented viewing options that can cost up to $1,500 annually across various cable, satellite, and streaming subscriptions.

Local business owners say the current landscape is putting a severe financial strain on small operations with tight margins. Seth Gebauer, who has owned the Sandbar and Grill in Chippewa Falls for 12 years, said ensuring his bar has anticipated games has become stressful.

Other owners said their sports bars are paying upwards of $200 a month per streaming platform to keep games on for patrons.

“With all the streaming through the Wi-Fi, it’s been kind of difficult over the last couple years because we have multiple TVs,” Gebauer said, noting he had to install a separate internet line and purchase multiple platform accounts to stream a single game across his establishment. “If we’re in the state of Wisconsin, we should be able to watch our sports. And it shouldn’t cost us an exorbitant amount of money to do that.”

While the bill would require free local broadcasts for in-state fans, Baldwin clarified it would not regulate streaming prices directly or apply to out-of-state viewers. The legislation would also give the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) discretion to define “local teams” in more complex out-of-state markets.

Baldwin expressed optimism about the bill’s bipartisan appeal and suggested it could be integrated into upcoming collegiate sports legislation.