While tuning into television, we’re all guilty of having “our” channels. As customers, we rely on a top ten selection and only on a rare occasion even dare to venture into the other 500 that may be available. Why are we paying for an unused service? The hot cable trend is to offer a bundle deal, allowing customers an already discounted rate when adding cable onto their phone or internet package. Cable companies rely heavily on the entire service fee, not just a few channels off an ala carte menu. With the vast channel offerings made available, should we have the right simply to pick and choose?
This difficult conflict of interest has created the potential “Television Consumer Freedom Act”. The act was proposed earlier this year to provide customers with the ability to select and pay for only specific channels that fit the individual household’s desires. This act has the potential to eliminate parental struggle and provide viewers with exactly what they want when they want it.
Today’s programming is by far not what is used to be. Limits have been pushed, boundaries have been broken and yesterday’s quality standards are today’s trash. Parents have raised their level of moral concern while the number of unsatisfied viewers grows daily.
Many viewers seek not only programs of interest, but pieces of quality. A half-naked Lady Gaga on the video music awards may appeal to some viewers but a mother with 3 young impressionable children is also paying for this station’s programming. Although many providers give the ability to “block” or set “parental controls”, the cost of obtaining that station will remain stationary as part of a bulk sum on the monthly bill.
With the potential future passage of The Television Consumer Freedom Act, it does make you stop and wonder if the classic excitement of television has truly been lost. We once found value in the adventure of changing channels and discovering something new. In our current era of entertainment and hyper technology, we have become overloaded with variety. We now find satisfaction in familiarity instead of risking the exploration of today’s potentially offensive material.