Senators push to get MWC games on satellite

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.

"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."

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E-mail: suzanne@desnews.com

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