SUNBURY — The city's cable TV provider is close to an agreement with Big Ten Network, and perhaps a pact will be reached in time for it to provide Penn State's football opener Sept. 5.

If it falls through, local fans will need tickets or a satellite dish, or a good friend with one, to see the Lions play Akron.

Jeff Nelson, Penn State's sports information director, said at least four, possibly five games, including a conference game at Illinois, will air on the Big Ten Network.

About 80 percent of the "footprint" of the Big Ten, encompassing eight states, has access to the Big Ten Network, but not Sunbury, Lewisburg and the immediate vicinity.

That's because cable providers here, Service Electric Cablevision and CATV, have not acquiesced to the Big Ten Network's demand that carriers include it in their offerings to all subscribers, not just as an optional purchase.

"That's not fair," said Sam Haulman, president of CATV, which serves Danville, Lewisburg, Milton and Watsontown. "It would require a rate increase and not enough customers want it for the cost to be absorbed by all."

The Big Ten Conference owns 51 percent of the network; Fox own the rest.

Haulman said CATV would like the opportunity to include Big Ten Network, "but not in the main package."

That's exactly the type of deal Service Electric Cablevision reported it was working on early Wednesday.

Donald Brandt, director of programming, said he was very close to a deal for Big Ten Network access for Service Electric's digital subscribers, not to include "basic" or "limited basic" analog subscribers. It would not have required a rate increase at any level, he said.

CATV's Haulman said that surprised him. And hour later he called The Daily Item to report an e-mail from a Fox representative.

"He said he'd like to meet with me next week," Haulman said, "so maybe they have made some changes."

At almost the same time, Brandt called back to report he could no longer speak to the levels of service that would be included in a deal with Big Ten Network.

"We might not have a deal," he said.

Then again, they might.