The contract between the Big Ten Network and UW-Madison has come under scrutiny recently, with two legislators demanding additional answers from Chancellor John Wiley in a letter released Tuesday.
According to the letter released from state Reps. Dave Travis, D-Waunakee, and Mark Pocan, D-Madison, several questions remain unanswered about the agreement that prevents many in Wisconsin from viewing UW sporting events.
The letter said the BTN, which is not carried by state cable providers, is not accessible to many rural residents and UW-System students.
Thousands of the University's own students are not legally allowed into a bar, making these games unavailable to them,"" according to the letter.
The legislators ask in the letter for UW-Madison to renegotiate their contract with the BTN, and said that Wiley had stated the agreement was open to negotiations.
They said in the letter the sporting events should be available for rebroadcast, which was practiced by the UW System in the past and is unavailable under the current contract.
One other concern raised in the letter was how the Big Ten Conference gained possession of the University's media rights, and what the university has received in exchange for them.
According to UW-Madison Administration Program Specialist Don Nelson, the University gave the rights to the Big Ten Conference, and the UW-System Board of Regents approved the action.
""Television rights have been turned over to the Big Ten Conference for several years,"" Athletic Department Spokesman Vince Sweeney said.
Payments have been made over the years to the UW-Madison athletic department in exchange for these rights, according to Sweeney.
University Communications spokesman John Lucas said it was important to note the long-term benefits of the contract for UW-Madison. Lucas said the millions the contract generated for other parts of the school, not just the athletic department, showed its positive impact on UW students.
