Support Cable Consumer Choice

Please ask your congressional representatives to support House Resolution 2738, the Family and Consumer Choice Act. This bill, which has bipartisan support, would allow television owners an "a la carte" selection of cable TV channels, allowing parents to block any network they consider unsuitable for their children. By doing this, the bill will allow parents to protect their children from what they consider obscene content, without having to get such content completely off the airwaves. The current methods of doing this, such as the "V-Chip" and "family friendly" blocking programs offered as parts of individual cable packages, have been largely ineffective, due to general lack of familiarity with the technology involved and children overriding the blocks. The Family and Consumer Choice Act will create a foolproof method of blocking unwanted channels that does not require knowledge of technology and that cannot be overridden by children. If this law is passed, cable networks will no longer be forced to dilute their content to avoid angry letters from "concerned parents." This measure would also forestall attempts to apply FCC regulations to cable networks with the same strength as those applied to broadcast networks. At the same time, the law will probably lower your monthly cable bill by allowing you to not have to pay for networks that you don't watch. The bill is currently tied up in the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet in the Committee on Energy and Commerce, so please express your support at http://energycommerce.house.gov/membios/contact_form.shtml. The address to see an overview of the bill is http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-2738. The main opposition to this bill is from cable companies and niche-market TV networks that don't want to see their profits reduced. This bill has come under fire from Pat Robertson and other religious leaders because it would lower their ratings by allowing people not to pay for their networks, so your support is needed.