A clear picture on cable regulation

I agree with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin that cable subscribers should have the option of paying only for channels that they want. But I am baffled by their insistence that deregulation is the only path to this goal (Opinion, May 25).

Cable companies don’t offer channels a la carte because they make more money forcing customers to pay for channels they don’t want. Companies aren’t going to stop this profitable scheme voluntarily. In fact, McCain and Martin admit that their plan is simply to remove other unrelated regulations from cable companies “in exchange for agreeing to offer channels a la carte.” Last I checked, the U.S. government doesn’t need an industry’s permission to regulate it. If McCain and Martin really believe that consumers should have the right to cable channels a la carte, they shouldn’t need to bribe the cable companies to offer it.

ANDREW MATTHEWS

North Hollywood