Digital Home Thoughts: Cable Subscribers Sue For 'A La Carte' TV Options

"To all you cable and satellite subscribers who gripe about writing checks each month for the privilege of receiving dozens of channels you never watch, take note. A new lawsuit filed Thursday in federal court in Los Angeles charges that every major cable and satellite provider--and the entertainment conglomerates that feed them content--form a cartel that deprives consumers of choice and forces them to pay "inflated" prices for services that don't correspond to their desires. The suit, brought on behalf of cable subscribers in several states, calls for unspecified damages and for a court to decree that consumers can buy channels individually, the Associated Press reported. The companies being targeted by the suit are NBC Universal, Viacom, Walt Disney, Fox Entertainment Group, Time Warner, Comcast, Cox Communications, DirecTV, Echostar Satellite, Charter Communications and Cablevision Systems, according to the AP."



I am often excited about the fact that I have almost 500 channels that I could tune to, all with one of my pretty basic cable package. Obviously, the number of channels you get grows rapidly as you opt for the more expensive gold and platinum packages. But honestly, I probably watch about a max of 20 channels. So I completely get why the a la carte option would be excellent. Having said this, suing cable companies? I already find my cable bill to be quite high. Going a la carte is only going to make it higher. And then suing cable companies is not going to give them any incentive to make things more convenient for their customers.