Why isn't your pay-TV bill reduced when a channel is removed?

[Commentary] Should people have to pay for something they don't want? And shouldn’t your bill be reduced when a channel goes away? If McDonald's is selling a Happy Meal containing a burger, fries and a drink, and then it stops including the drink, there's no economic rationale that would explain charging the same price. Other than greed, that is.

Jarryd Gonzales, a Verizon spokesman, said that "from time to time, we review the FiOS-TV channel lineup to make sure that all content is providing commensurate value to our customers, and occasionally that results in removal of particular channels." He said removing a little-watched channel "often helps us to forestall price increases." But people's bills might not go down, Gonzales said, because Verizon continues "to add more content and features to our FiOS customers." He noted that FiOS has beefed up its mobile offerings with its online app and has added more high-definition channels, including Al Jazeera America and conservative One America News Network. The counter to that, of course, is that not all customers may want to watch TV on their mobile devices or view the new HD channels. But they're paying for them regardless.