said by zippoboy7:however this fee is for the Regional Sports Networks and most if not all of those channels are negotiated separately from other channels and could certainly be put in a separate package for those who want them.
Not true in the NY area. I know for a fact that YES Network requires cable companies to carry them on basic cable. That's one of the reasons Cablevision refused to carry the network many years ago - they didn't feel they should have to pay a carriage fee for every subscriber. I believe MSG Network works the same way.