The Big Ten Network is drawing fire on a new front. EchoStar Communications, parent of satellite TV provider DISH Network, has asked the Federal Communications Commission to declare the Big Ten Network a regional sports network, which would allow it to seek arbitration so that it can secure carriage of the service “on reasonable terms,” Multichannel.com reported.
EchoStar filed a 19-page petition with the FCC last Friday seeking expedited treatment regarding Big Ten Network, a joint venture that is 51 percent-owned by the Big Ten Conference and 49 percent-owned by Fox Cable, a unit of News Corp.