[opendtv] FCC Asked To Examine A la Carte Cable TV
- From: Monty Solomon <monty@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 20 May 2004 23:27:11 -0400
FCC Asked To Examine A la Carte Cable TV
Lawmakers Seek Feasibility Study
By Frank Ahrens
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, May 20, 2004; Page E04
Key members of the House Commerce Committee have asked the Federal
Communications Commission for a detailed study on the feasibility of
cable and satellite companies offering their subscribers the ability
to pay for the individual channels they want.
Most satellite and cable companies require their customers to
subscribe to packages of channels, arguing the system allows them to
maintain robust lineups at affordable rates. But a la carte pricing,
which would allow subscribers to pick and choose the channels they
want, has been gaining momentum among some lawmakers and consumer
groups as costs have risen and concerns have grown over televised
indecency. Several parents groups have complained that consumers
should not have to pay for channels that air content they find
offensive.
In the letter sent Tuesday, Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton
(R-Tex.) was joined by ranking member John D. Dingell (D-Mich.), Fred
Upton (R-Mich.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Nathan Deal (R-Ga.)
in asking FCC Chairman Michael K. Powell to have his agency determine
-- within six months -- whether a la carte pricing would be
technologically and economically feasible.
Powell has not publicly taken a position on the alternative pricing scheme.
...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A40996-2004May19.html
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