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By Neil Roland
Sen. John McCain has introduced a bill that would offer incentives to cable-television companies such as Comcast Corp. and Time Warner to sell their channels individually to subscribers rather than in packages.
The bill would grant lower fees and ease franchise rules for cable companies that offer consumers more flexibility to choose individual channels, McCain said Wednesday in a statement.
"I can only imagine the savings consumers could reap if presented with a choice of providers of cable service and a choice of channels," said McCain, R-Ariz.
McCain joins Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin in urging cable operators to consider selling channels on a so-called a la carte basis. The bill's chances of passing this year are weakened by its introduction with less than three months left in Congress' schedule for the year.
Advocacy groups such as Concerned Women for America have pushed for individual channel sales, saying it would reduce indecency on cable TV. Consumer activists also have endorsed the concept, saying it would cut cable prices.
Cable companies,including Philadelphia-based Comcast and New York- based Time Warner's cable unit, the two largest in the United States, have resisted, saying selling each channel would force them to drop those that are less popular and would push prices higher.
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