Palansky said the NFL Network doesn’t have any power to allow KDKA to broadcast the game outside of the Pittsburgh market. He again pointed to FCC regulations and the Designated Market Areas created by Nielsen. Armstrong’s Whittman disagrees with that argument.

“The FCC (and Nielsen) boundaries are not what determine it,” said Wittman. “It is what the NFL writes into its agreement. As part of the agreement with KDKA, they do not want this game shown outside the Pittsburgh market.”

And that, perhaps, could be backlash from the NFL against Armstrong, the No. 2 cable TV provider in western Pennsylv-ania, for not buying into its full NFL Network package.

Armstrong came to an agreement to carry the NFL Network in 2005. When the network began carrying regular-season games, it requested a fee above and beyond what Armstrong was paying to carry the network. Armstrong chose not to pay the fee because it would have to be passed along to customers. As a result, the version of NFL Network that Armstrong offers as part of its premium package doesn’t include live games like this Thursday’s Steelers contest. While no one has said exactly what the increase was, a published report in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette estimated it to be almost a 400 percent increase in cost.

How all this will work out for future Steelers games is uncertain. What is certain is that Stone, who says he will catch the game somewhere, will have a lot of company on the road Thursday night.

Matthew Digiacomo can be reached at 724-6370 or by e-mail at mdigiacomo@meadvilletribune.com.