The Ashes 2009 - Why No BBC Coverage ?

I was under the impression that important sporting events - and the Ashes is surely one of them - were not to be limited to Sky and other "Pay" TV networks, but were to continue to be freely available on BBC or ITV. What has gone wrong ? Now I cannot enjoy this Test series as I cannot afford Sky's ludicrously high fees. I'm sure I'm not the only one !