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WASHINGTON -- House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell said Monday he was concerned about the ability of fans to watch Big Ten sporting events on a new television network debuting this summer.
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Dingell, D-Mich., wrote Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany with questions about the Big Ten Network, which is expected to launch sometime in August.
The congressman said many constituents have expressed worries about being able to watch Michigan football games this season because none of the state's cable systems carry the network.
"While I understand the motivation on the part of the Big Ten Conference and its member schools to create a new all-Big Ten cable channel, I am increasingly concerned about the migration of previously free, over the air content to a pay television tier," Dingell wrote.
Dingell, whose committee has jurisdiction over telecommunications, asked Delany about the status of negotiations with cable systems, whether they would be concluded before football season and how the conference reached the per-household monthly rate it plans to charge cable systems.
He also noted that all 13 of Michigan's football games last season were available on either free, over-the-air broadcast or on cable channels widely available to subscribers. Requesting details for each school, he asked how many of the games will be on free or basic cable TV.
Delany, in a statement, said he looked forward to "continuing our conversation with Congressman Dingell and his staff to bring more Big Ten sports to more Big Ten fans across the country."
Delany said: "Seeing 35 football games, 105 basketball games, more women's sports and more Olympic sports on the first major college conference sports network is a win-win for everyone."
Big Ten spokesman Jeff Smith said the conference expects to request $1.10 per household per month from cable systems within the eight states that comprise the conference, and about 10 cents per month outside the Big Ten region.
The Big Ten and Comcast Corp. have been at odds over the price of the new network and whether it should be offered on basic cable. The network has agreements with about 40 smaller cable companies and DirecTV, but not Comcast, which has 5.7 million subscribers in the eight states with Big Ten schools.
The Chicago-based network, which is co-owned by the conference and Fox Sports, plans to show all the conference's football games that aren't broadcast elsewhere. It also plans to broadcast numerous other events, including at least 105 regular-season men's basketball games.
Fox Sports is a division of News Corp.
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