Comcast Corporation and the Big Ten Network may sign a carriage deal in the near future, according to a Monday report from Street and Smith’s SportsBusiness Journal.

According to the Journal, top executives from Comcast and Fox have agreed on the framework of a deal which would provide Comcast customer’s access to the BTN.

However, Barry Orton, UW-Madison professor of telecommunications who follows BTN negotiations, said even if Comcast and Fox are closer to reaching an agreement, it will mean very little for Charter Communications customers.

“For Madison residents, it means we’re in the same situation we were in before. It means it might get settled by the time it matters next year,” Orton said.

Orton said since the BTN’s launch last August, negotiations with Charter have made very little progress. He said if the network does reach an agreement with Comcast, it would indicate an agreement with Charter could be possible.