MADISON, Wis. -- It's news that many Badger fans have been waiting months to hear -- Charter Cable might be closer than ever to reaching a deal with the Big Ten Network.

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The Sports Business Journal is reporting that Comcast, the nation's largest cable provider, is just about ready to sign a deal with the Big Ten Network. Industry experts said it's a move that cable companies like Charter and Time Warner have been waiting for, WISC-TV reported.

Barry Orton, a cable and telecommunications professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said Comcast will set the standards for negotiations and it is likely Time Warner and Charter will follow suit.

Orton said that while the deal is not final, Comcast will likely place the Big Ten Network on its "basic digital tier" of channels, making it available to nearly all of its subscribers. Orton said placing the Big Ten Network on the digital tier allows cable companies to, in essence, charge customers for the channel by raising rates. He said he expects Charter to follow the same pattern.

"Charter would have the right to raise the rates as they always do, and Charter isn't going to eat the costs of the Big Ten Network," Orton said. "They're going to pass that on to the subscriber. As sure as gravity works, people are going to pay for it. Charter's not going to pay for it, the subscribers are going to pay for it."

In a statement, Elizabeth Conlisk, a spokeswoman for the Big Ten Network said, "We cannot respond specifically to the Sports Business Journal story regarding our negotiations with Comcast, other than to say we continue to talk and we continue to make progress. Other than that, we cannot comment further. As for Charter, we continue to talk although we remain far apart. Despite our best efforts, we have not had substantive conversations with Time Warner since late last summer."

John Miller, spokesman for Charter, released a statement that said, "Now that high-profile sports are over on the Big Ten Network until September, we're hopeful that our talks with Fox regarding Big Ten Network can focus on a more customer-friendly agreement. The agreement we continue to discuss is one that would bring value to our lineup and keeps the best interest of all our customers at the forefront."

Orton said Comcast's deal, if it happens, will likely take months to settle. He said he expects Time Warner to follow, and then Charter.

"We don't need a deal right away," Orton said. "The next time this is crucial is next August, when the football games start again and they wouldn't be televised. Really between now and then, there's women's softball, there's a whole bunch of filler."

Orton said if progress continues, Charter customers could see the Big Ten Network just in time for the next football season.