Two state legislators called on the cable companies Time Warner and Charter Communications to provide Wisconsin residents with the Big Ten Network on Monday.
State Sen. Jim Sullivan, D-Wauwatosa, and state Rep. Josh Zepnik, D-Milwaukee, issued a statement today to ask the two largest providers of cable television in the state to put the network in expanded basic cable packages.
Zepnik and Sullivan are both UW-Madison alumni and said they hope the network would draw greater notoriety to the university.
The UW-Madison really is an exceptional institution and as a state, we should support efforts that promote and embrace that,"" Sullivan said.
Sullivan said some smaller cable and satellite companies already provide the BTN.
Emily Conlisk, vice president of communications for BTN, said the negotiations between her company and the cable providers are still not close to an agreement.
""It is very unlikely we will reach an agreement any time soon,"" Conlisk said.
Conlisk said Minnesota and Illinois are the only other schools in the Big Ten that do not have the network.
Students can currently view BTN in residence halls and using UW-Madison's Digital Academic Television Network. A person in a university building can access DATN by logging onto
www.DATN.wisc.edu, but must be connected by an Ethernet cord.
Mike Vest, media relations manager for BTN, said close to 70 UW-Madison athletic events will be broadcast on over the coming year. The total includes four to six men's football games and 19 men's basketball games.
Vest said negotiations with the cable providers has stalled over whether or not BTN would be in the expanded basic cable package.
Time Warner and Charter Communications were unavailable for comment as of press time.
