Local Choice: A Good Idea, But It’s All about the Details

On balance, Local Choice should be a step toward more viewer control, and lower cable bills. But there still might be some "gotchas" and fine print that policymakers must attend to.

• First, policymakers should be humble enough to recognize that it's impossible to predict what all the effects of this small step toward unbundling would be. Second, we need to make sure that viewers, not cable and satellite providers, see any savings benefits.
• Third, Congress should consider other reforms to cable and satellite billing that complement Local Choice. It should take action against the unadvertised, below-the-line service, rental, and "regulatory" fees that can push a subscriber's bill well above advertised rates. It could also introduce more competition to the video distribution market by extending this new "broadcast pass-through" function to online providers, not just traditional pay TV providers -- either by recognizing that online providers can be "multichannel video programming distributors" under current law, or with a new, narrow provision.