Archives: Cable & Satellite

Consumers Union has joined with Consumer Federation of America and Free Press to submit a written statement for the Congressional Record on the recent Senate Commerce Committee’s hearing on Decency.  The letter, addressed to Senate Commerce Committee Co-Chairs Ted Stevens (AK-R) and Daniel Inouye (HI-D), calls on the Committee to "reject voluntary industry proposals that fail to offer consumers adequate control through new 'family choice tiers.'"  The letter states:

Announcements of new "family choice" tiers by some of the largest cable distributors is a good first step toward greater consumer choice if only because it demonstrates that the cable industry can do what, for years, it claimed it could not – offer consumers smaller, specialized bundles in lieu of the costly expanded basic tier.  Unfortunately, because cable distributors, in tandem with powerful broadcast programmers, have decided which channels will be included, the tier offers consumers very little choice...

Consumers Union supports "a la carte" cable programming that would actually lower consumers’ monthly cable bills, according to recent analysis by the Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin. 

Cable providers, working hand-in-hand with the dominant broadcast network programmers, should not be allowed to use their absolute control over television packaging to stifle video competition and impede the marketplace from responding to overwhelming consumer demand for cable channel choice. We urge the Committee to ensure that they cannot.

The letter goes on to say, "absent commitments to offer meaningful family choice, the Committee should pursue legislative solutions."