From Deseret News archives:

Senators push to get MWC games on satellite

Published: Friday, Sept. 28, 2007 12:35 a.m. MDT
 |  E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - 
WASHINGTON — College sports fans take note, Sens. Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett are trying to get Brigham Young University and University of Utah onto satellite television.

Utah's senators joined five other Republicans from Western States in telling Comcast, DirecTV, Echostar Communications, the CBS Corp. and the Mountain West Conference that something needs to be done about the "ongoing impasses" that limit the Mountain West Sports Network to being offered through DirecTV and Dish Network.

"This issue has been a matter of substantial controversy among the fans of the teams in the Mountain West Conference as the failure to reach an agreement has left many viewers without access to this widely anticipated and popular sports programming," the senators wrote in a letter sent Thursday. "Many of the potential viewers in the Intermountain West live in rural and mountainous areas where only satellite television is available."

The senators have heard many complaints from fans who want their college sports.

Story continues below
"We anticipate that, with the progression of the college football season, which will be followed immediately by the basketball season, our constituents' desire to view Mountain West Conference games will only intensify," according to the letter sent by Hatch, Bennett, along with Sens. Michael B. Enzi, R-Wyo. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., John Ensign, R-Nev., Pete V. Domenici, R-N.M. and Wayne Allard, R-Colo.

They noted that there does not seem to be a technical problem to get an agreement together to broadcast the games, saying other conference can get games on cable as well as satellite.

"We strongly believe that, when it comes to programming conflicts, the interests of consumers should bethe foremost concern," they wrote. "Toward that end, we urge all of the parties involved in this dispute to work together to ensure that Mountain West Conference games and events are broadcast to the widest possible audience."


E-mail: suzanne@desnews.com

Recent comments

Look people, before you jump all over these guys: A senator's job is...

Josh | Sept. 29, 2007 at 12:49 a.m.

I guess in the over-all picture of life, college sports are not the...

BYU Fan | Sept. 29, 2007 at 12:24 a.m.

Are they going to push to get the Big-12 network on Comcast? I can...

what? | Sept. 28, 2007 at 10:46 p.m.

previousnext

Latest comments

Aggie 'D' holds BYU to season low

USU, along with almost any other basketball team, has a home court advantage....

What bothers me is how quick this article assumes Romney suffered at the...

March trial set in bogus-bids case

a good criminal attorney so Yengitch is hired. The jury may well not be...

Woods crash did $3,200 damage

That's like me causing 1/100th of a cent worth of damage to something and...

Football is JUST A GAME!! People have the right to say and believe what they...

Notice how Hatch always talks about failure.... How about some success in...

Proud to be a Wildcat...proud of Randy Rahe, his staff and his team. Never...

But according to Dave Rose in an article earlier today, "we know who are...

Nearly 1,000 cats have found homes

keep them under controland have them "fixed" so they will not be picked up...

Can I get a WOOT YEAH?!

Advertisements