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MMTC takes a stand against ala carte

David Honig of the Minority Media & Telecommunications Council is trying to block any attempt to force cable and DBS services to add ala carte channel selection options for their subscribers, saying it would prevent niche programming from ever getting started. He committed his thoughts to paper in a letter to the leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Joe Barton (R-TX) and John Dingell (D-MI).

"The beauty of multi-channel cable and satellite is that they offer exposure to new and previously unfamiliar channel offerings," wrote Honig. "Fifteen new multicultural channels - - most of which are minority-controlled - - are in various stages of development."

He continued, "Under ala carte, viewers would seldom purchase channels they've had no chance to see. New channels would need to build loyalty through word of mouth, while investing tens of millions of dollars over a period of years providing network quality programming." He said such a tack is a financial impossibility, and the result of ala carte would be an insurmountable barrier thrown up in front of new channel offerings.

Meanwhile, a House Energy and Commerce Committee markup session on SHVIA scheduled for yesterday (5/13/04) was postponed, with rescheduling to be determined. The bill as passed out of subcommittee contained no mention of ala carte, but it is possible that an amendment regarding ala carte and satellite video services may be offered before the full committee. Stay tuned.