  The observed spectra of blazars, their intrinsic emission, and the underlying
populations of radiating particles are intimately related. The use of these
sources as probes of the extragalactic infrared background, a prospect
propelled by recent advances in TeV-band telescopes, soon to be augmented by
observations by NASA's upcoming Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST),
has been a topic of great recent interest. Here, it is demonstrated that if
particles in blazar jets are accelerated at relativistic shocks, then gamma-ray
spectra with indices less than 1.5 can be produced. This, in turn, loosens the
upper limits on the near infrared extragalactic background radiation previously
proposed. We also show evidence hinting that TeV blazars with flatter spectra
have higher intrinsic TeV gamma-ray luminosities and we indicate that there may
be a correlation of flatness and luminosity with redshift.
