Posted on 06/07/2006 10:31:14 AM PDT by meandog
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) introduced the Consumers Having Options in Cable Entertainment (CHOICE) Act of 2006. The bill is designed to encourage broadcasters and cable companies that own cable channels to sell their channels individually to subscribers. It also promotes cable channel distribution over the Internet.
Attached are Senator McCain’s floor statement that was submitted for the record today, a copy of the bill, the bill summary, and a copy of the of the opinion editorial by Senator McCain and FCC Chairman Martin as it appeared in the Los Angeles Times on May 25, 2006.
(Excerpt) Read more at mccain.senate.gov ...
Unless this affects satellite TV as well... yawn.
I'm not so sure this is good and definelty not so sure it will save me money on my cable bill?
Well anything McCain does......I expect my cable bill to double.
TS
There's only about 5 satellite channels that I ever watch, and I'm guessing that many people are just like me. Not that they watch the same 5 channels that I watch, but that they have a strong preference in what they watch, and that those preferences can be fulfilled by a relatively small number of channels. The satellite/cable companies must be very worried about this.
</sarcasm>
So to paraphrase Senator Dorgan, Senator Durban, et al, "We have soldiers dying in Iraq, high gas prices, unaffordable health care, etc. but we're worrying about private citizen's TV rates!"
Senator McCain, I hope every bill you introduce goes down to defeat. You cannot be trusted.
He may be doing the right thing, but it is probably for the wrong reasons. But desperately ambitious men commit desperate acts. And with the record of the superelitist crowd in the Senate, desperation mixed with unbridled ambition is about the only thing that might move any of them to do the right thing.
Does this mean you're going to vote for the Hildabeaste in '08?
You should invest now in the technology that will bring what is the future of TV. On Demand.
Recall McCain. He always does this, he does 10 or 12 things to stomp on the constitution then he trys to throw the serfs a bone now and then. Just start the recall it may work since he was the main proponent of giving social security benefits and amnesty to ID theft felons.
Bread and circuses
It would be better news for boob tubers if the feds left their hands off it. Let consumer demand dictate how the cable companies operate.
The Law of Unintended Consequences will prevail. Prices will go up, choices will go down, and McVain will portray himself as the champion of the people....
A bill to ENCOURAGE cable companies means what? Will there be some sort of INCENTIVE, if not then I expect nothing to change EXCEPT that if the Cable Companies decide to provide us with the CHOICE, your cable bill will INCREASE as you DECREASE the number of channels you receive?
The only thing that's going to break the ever-rising spiral of cable prices is for municipalities to stop granting monopolies and allow multiple cable companies to COMPETE in the same geographic area. In the places where it's been tried, rates have gone down. Right now, for example, in Henrico County, VA (suburban Richmond), I'm on Comcast, and as far as I'm aware they are the only cable provider allowed in Henrico County. I have no problems with their TV or Internet service, I'm quite pleased with it. But if I had the choice of, say, them or Time Warner, and they had to directly compete with each other? I bet I wouldn't be paying $111 a month for digital cable and high-speed broadband.
}:-)4
But, but, but if everyone does this, cable channels no one watches won't survive. Why, this is just another Wal-Mart putting mom and pop TV stations out of business!
Is bundling channels, forcing us to gobble up the good and bad, socialism? Or is socialism forcing private companies to market their wares as government dictates? Actually, it's the latter.
Well, Dorgan's mama was a floozie, Durbin's mama was a whore...and neither RAT would be here if the rubbahs hadn't tore!
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