The NFL is facing heat from the federal government on two fronts. First, the Department of Justice is investigating its media deals for being anticompetitive, and will act as a direct pushback to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s vision of landing a $15.9 billion broadcasting rights deal. Second, the U.S. Senate is getting involved with a bill that could change how fans watch games for good.

The latest developments from the U.S. Senate hint at Senator Tammy Baldwin’s plans to propose a bill that would make game streaming easier for the fans. The bill will require all nationally-televised games, including a team from a given state, to be available throughout the state for free, through broadcasting or streaming on a consistent channel or service.

“It is leveling the playing field for fans,” said Tammy Baldwin in conversation with The Athletic‘s Andrew Marchand. “Sports leagues and teams of all sizes will continue to be able to make money from advertising and media rights. We just want to have some basic ground rules to bring down costs for fans.”

Since the 1980s, the NFL has ensured free games to be aired on over-the-air network affiliates in local markets. Almost 87% of its games are available on local TV, which is more than other sports that have migrated to paid platforms. But details from the last season speak otherwise. To watch every game, a fan spends approximately $1,000 on subscriptions for just one season, which, for many, is a luxury.

Baldwin’s bill aims to prevent teams from extracting more money from fans for game access, arguing their significant earnings from advertisements and media rights are sufficient. Additionally, the bill also aims to make games free throughout the state, not just in a local community.

“For many fans in Wisconsin, the only place to watch the game was on Amazon Prime, so families were forced to pay Jeff Bezos just to watch the game,” Baldwin said. “It’s extremely frustrating to not know how or where to watch the games we love. It’s also damn expensive.”

Baldwin was inspired by the Chicago Bears vs. the Green Bay Packers playoff game in January to work on the new bill. Despite the Packers coming from the state of Wisconsin, the game was only free to watch in Green Bay and Milwaukee. For the rest of the state, they were required to watch it on Amazon, via subscription.

If Baldwin’s bill becomes law, the whole state could enjoy the game for free, not just selected places. Moreover, it will also remove local blackouts on out-of-market services when the game is available only on another streaming service. It is a great initiative for the fans, but there are things that still remain unclear.

For a state with only one team, such as Missouri with the Kansas City Chiefs, the rule is straightforward. When the Chiefs are playing, every resident of Missouri will be able to watch the game for free. The bill does not yet clarify how this would apply to states with multiple teams.

For example, California and Florida each have three teams. For example, the Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles Chargers, and the San Francisco 49ers are from California. If one of them is playing, will the game be free to all, or just to the local people?

If it is free to the entire state, then that means California will have more free games than the other states and can create a rift among the fans. While it does become an obstacle in the NFL’s hopes of pivoting to multiple streaming platforms, especially with the hopes of earning $15.9 billion annually, there are some unanswered questions that Tammy Baldwin needs to answer.

The NFL’s $15.9 billion vision under fire

The league’s current deal with its broadcasting partners, including Amazon, ESPN, FOX, NBC, and CBS, runs until 2032. According to the current streaming rights, FOX pays the highest with $2.2 billion, followed by CBS ($2.1 billion), NBC ($2 billion), and Amazon ($1 billion). There are additional verticals as well, including Netflix’s Christmas Day package and agreements like Sunday Ticket and select games tied to YouTube.

However, the current broadcasting contract has a clause that allows the NFL to opt out in 2029. So, rather than just waiting, Goodell is hoping to put his plan into motion as soon as possible. It’s a move that several reports have all but confirmed.

“And right on cue, MoffettNathanson is out with a new report predicting the average annual value of NFL rights deals will rise to $15.9 billion after renegotiations—including the carve-outs of additional smaller packages, likely to sell to Netflix or YouTube,” Puck’s Matthew Belloni reported. “That’s 58 percent higher than the current deals.”

The $15.9 billion value is almost 58% more than the current amount, with reports also linking to an additional $6 million annual jump. This contrasts with the previous year’s $10 million annual value. Reportedly, the current agreement is the highest-valued in sports history, worth over $110 billion. So, why is Roger Goodell trying so hard to update the terms early on?

One reason behind that could be the NBA’s latest 11-year deal worth $76 billion. The deal reportedly comes at a staggering 160% increase from the NBA’s previous contract. With the NBA already one step ahead of the NFL, we could very well be looking at the league taking similar steps in the future.