Viewers Should be able to Pick Channels they Pay For

[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Editorial Staff]
[Commentary] Last month, newspaper business pages reported what they've been reporting almost every December: Cable television prices are set to go up again this year at a rate that outpaces inflation. Add the fact that consumers are forced to sign up for large blocks of channels, many of which they'll never watch, and you can see why cable TV subscribers may be feeling grumpy. It's not surprising then that the idea of forcing cable companies. Telephone companies and Internet services are poised to start competing with cable TV's quasi-monopoly with new options such as a la carte menus, video on demand and pay-per-download offers. But unless networks are willing to break up their blocks of channels, the newcomers may be unable to experiment with new models. That would be a shame. After all, the new video technologies were supposed to be all about delivering compelling new choices to TV viewers.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/technology/13535465.htm