Reaction to FCC A La Carte Report
* Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska): "If a la carte is not more expensive for consumers, I will support an effort to take such an approach, subject to discussions with providers on the downside of such a process."
http://commerce.senate.gov/newsroom/printable.cfm?id=251382
* Kyle McSlarrow, NCTA: "Most studies conclude that a mandated a la carte regime would be more expensive for consumers and result in less diversity in programming. It is disappointing that the updated Media Bureau report relies on assumptions that are not in line with the reality of the marketplace. Over the last 25 years, the American free enterprise system created the most diverse video programming on Earth with the best value for the customer. The marketplace in which cable, satellite, broadcasters and others vigorously compete for customers should decide video offerings, not mandates and price controls imposed by Washington, D.C. The notion that the government knows better how to improve on a competitive marketplace is not supported by the evidence."
http://www.ncta.com/press/press.cfm?PRid=668&showArticles=ok
* Consumers Union: Senator McCain pledged he will quickly introduce cable choice legislation. "Consumers should praise FCC Chairman Kevin Martin and Senator John McCain for striking at the heart of the cable industry's flawed pricing scheme which forces consumers to buy packages of television channels they don't want and shouldn't have to pay for," said Jeannine Kenney, Senior Policy Analyst for Consumers Union. "Today's action kick starts the national effort to give consumers' wallets a break and allow them more control over their television programming choices and cable bills," added Kenney. Cable companies and broadcasters have fought "a la carte" pricing for years, hiding behind the fallacious argument that channels had to be bundled together to keep all programming afloat. As a result, consumers have been paying for dozens of channels that they never watch. The average household watches only 17 channels on cable systems. "In 2004, the FCC issued a staff report based on erroneous assumptions that kept this costly bundling charade going," said Kenney. For example, the old report assumed consumers would watch nearly 25% less television per day if they were allowed to buy only the channels they want to watch. "Today’s FCC report shreds the foundation of this industry-sponsored deceit."
http://www.consumersunion.org/pub/core_telecom_and_utilities/003152.html...
http://www.hearusnow.org/other/newsroom/tvradiocable/fccalacartereportsa...
* Center for Creative Voices in Media: "Today’s bundling system gives Big Media -- the broadcast networks and Big Cable -- a chokehold over America’s television programming, restricting consumer choice largely to networks owned by broadcast network owners or large cable operators. As the FCC recognizes, an a la carte option would enable consumers to access a wider diversity of programming from additional sources, full of diverse and competing voices and viewpoints  and at a lower cost. It will also give consumers the ability to choose to not subscribe to networks on cable and satellite that offend them, eliminating any need for extending broadcast indecency regulations to cable. This will be good not only for creative media artists, but for all Americans. "
http://www.creativevoices.us/php-bin/news/showArticle.php?id=150
* Progress & Freedom Foundation:
http://blog.pff.org/archives/2006/02/initial_thought.html
* FCC: Give cable customers choices (from Chicago Tribune)
http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/news_theswamp/2006/02/fcc_give_cable...