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"Hate having to pay for hundreds of cable TV channels when you watch less than a dozen? How about those blackout rules that make it so you can't watch your favorite NFL team when a home game isn't sold out? \nIf Sen. John McCain gets his way \u2014 and that's a big \"if\" \u2014 those two annoyances could be a thing of the past.\nSen. McCain introduced a bill Thursday in Congress, the Television Consumer Freedom Act of 2013. The act would \"encourage the wholesale and retail unbundling of programming by distributors and programmers.\" \nThat means if you want to subscribe to a single cable channel, such as ESPN, you would be able to do that without subscribing to any others.\nHere's how the senior Senator from Arizona introduced his bill: \"For over 15 years I have supported giving consumers the ability to buy cable channels individually, also known as 'a la carte' \u2014 to provide consumers more control over viewing options in their home and, as a result, their monthly cable bill.\"\nMcCain says current bundling practices are \"unfair and wrong.\" In theory, this bill would make compliance with his a la carte plan voluntary. But program providers would be enticed into complying because of another law he wants to attach to the bill: one that makes dealing with copyright much easier for cable networks. \nIf cable and satellite programming purveyors wanted to enjoy the sweet deal they enjoy now \u2014 one where broadcast stations are forced to license their content to the cable and satellite providers \u2014 they'll have to play along with McCain's a la carte plan.\nMcCain cited his next-door neighbor, a 74-year-old widow, who has to pay higher cable rates because of sports programming on ESPN (the most expensive cable channel), even though she never watches it. She ends up sending a check to Disney for about $70 for something she never uses. \n\"Today, we're putting up a stop sign,\" said McCain.\nMcCain's bill also forbids networks from downgrading their over-the-air broadcast signal so that customers will be forced to buy cable TV with higher-quality, non-degraded video. The law would threaten to take broadcasters off the air by taking away their broadcast frequencies and having the FCC auction them off. \nSports fans should love McCain's proposed repeal of blackout rules. Under his bill, cable subscribers would be able to watch local games played in stadiums that are publicly financed, which includes many stadiums and teams that are supported by local taxes. \nWhat's in doubt is what this bill would do to prices. Will it make cable and satellite TV more expensive \u2014 as it has done in Europe \u2014 or will people spend less on subscriptions overall because they're only getting the channels they want? \nEither way, the cable industry lobbyists will have a field day trying to block this bill. \nWould you prefer a la carte programming? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.\nPhoto via Getty Images"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2013/05/09/mccain-a-la-carte/>