ToplineThe Justice Department is investigating the National Football League over alleged anticompetitive practices that harm consumers, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday citing anonymous sources familiar with the probe, although the exact scope of the investigation was not immediately clear and not confirmed by investigators or the league.The full scope of the investigation was not immediately clear.Getty ImagesKey FactsBoth Republicans and Democrats in Congress have written to federal regulators, including the DoJ and the Federal Communications Commission, in recent months detailing high costs placed on consumers due to the NFL’s exclusive deals with streaming platforms and cable channels.The NFL has historically been protected from some antitrust regulation by the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961.Both the Justice Department and the NFL declined to comment on the Journal’s report, and neither organization immediately returned a request for comment from Forbes.Key BackgroundIn March, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, asked the Justice Department to examine the NFL’s practice of simultaneously licensing the rights to broadcast games to “subscription streaming platforms, premium cable networks, and technology companies.” The Utah senator said this practice might no longer be protected as “sponsored telecasting” of games as protected in the Sports Broadcasting Act, which was written when games were only available on broadcast television available to all. According to Lee’s letter, a person who wanted to watch every NFL game last season would have had to pay almost $1,000 on various cable and streaming service subscriptions, as well as fees for high-speed internet or satellite connections. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rep. Patrick Ryan, D-N.Y., sent their own letter to the FCC in April, asking regulators to examine whether acquisitions and “forced bundling” have forced consumers to pay higher prices for packages including games they don’t want.