This was discussed in a Salon article a few days ago:

http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/01/28/dahl_...

The section "Turning On" describes the process that led Buckeye Cable System in Ohio to start carrying Al Jazeera. I think it directly addresses your question.

This hit the front page a few days ago: https://qht.co/item?id=2156195