FCC takes a la carte matters into its own hands

FCC takes a la carte matters into its own hands

A spokesman for a broadcast decency advocacy group says the FCC is to be commended for starting a series of discussions he says would ultimately benefit families. The discussions will address a possible ban on cable operators' practice of bundling new channels produced by cable programmers and their companies, to the obtaining of marquee channels produced by the same company.

Dan Isett, director of government affairs for Parents Television Council (PTC), says the problem of bundling -- also known as "tying" -- new channels produced by large ownership companies like Disney to the obtaining of standard marquee channels they own -- like ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC Family -- is only getting more widespread. Isett says the Federal Communication Commission is acknowledging discussions on its part are necessary because waiting for the cable programmers to change is not working.

"It bears mentioning that [the FCC is] doing it in the face of enormous pressure from the giant cable lobby, both at the FCC and on Capitol Hill, to maintain the status quo," Isett explains.

But the PTC spokesman argues that things need to change. "The status quo on television isn't working for families, it isn't working for consumers, and it certainly isn't working for children," he states. "So the reasonable discussion to have here is: what can we do about that? And at the end of the day these bundled-tight arrangements are inherently anti-consumer, inherently anti-family -- and that's what needs to change."

Why the push to maintain things the way they are? "The reason for that is very simple," answers Isett. "The cable industry makes an awful lot of money forcing you to pay for stuff that you do not want, will not watch, and in many cases will find offensive or even harmful to yourself or your children."

An FCC study released last year, however, showed that customers could save money if they could pick and choose their own channels "a la carte" -- which is why Isett says family and consumer advocate groups like his are calling for a free-market solution based on supply and demand and on choice.