Response to FCC on a La Carte and Themed Tier Programming and Pricing Options for Programming Distribution on Cable Television And Direct Broadcast Satellite Systems

The large cable operators and dominant national programmers have painted a doomsday scenario for a la carte choice that bears no relationship to reality. They have vastly overstated the costs and completely ignored the benefits of an environment in which consumers are allowed to choose to purchase either bundles of networks or individual networks. They fail to take into account the migration to digital technology that is already under way. A policy that requires mixed bundling for digital subscribers would enhance consumer sovereignty and invigorate competition without raising consumer costs.