Congress to debate watching Packer games

Go Pack Go! It is a common refrain at Lambeau Field, and throughout Wisconsin. Now it is the subject of discussion in the United States Congress. U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin plans to introduce what she calls the “Go Pack Go Act” in Congress. It seeks to require that everybody in Wisconsin be able to watch their beloved Packers on television. It turns out there are many people in the state, those living along the Minnesota and Michigan borders, don’t get the Packer games on their televisions. Some 400,000 people in the state are serviced by media markets in either Minnesota or Michigan. So those living in northwestern Wisconsin are shown the Vikings games on Sundays, while those living along the Michigan border are shown Lions games. Baldwin’s bill would force cable and satellite companies to provide in-state programming to their Wisconsin customers. Perhaps this doesn’t seem an issue worthy of debate in the United States Congress. With all that is going on in the world, there are more weighty issues up for debate in the nation’s capitol. But this is a real issue for those who can’t watch the Pack play. In addition to football games, these cable customers also aren’t getting local news, or information about their state or municipal government. But the main thrust is being able to see Packers games, once again proving the adage that all politics is local.