PTC Atlanta Chapter Calls on Sen. Isakson to Provide Cable Choice to Families

LOS ANGELES (June 10, 2009) � The Parents Television Council� Atlanta Chapter called on Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA) to provide families with cable choice, a way to choose and pay for only the cable networks they want. The government-mandated DTV transition, scheduled for June 12, stands to enable the cable industry to gain a windfall of new subscribers who do not want the hassle of getting digital converter boxes just to watch TV, making the need for a cable choice solution even more urgent.

�Families must have the ability to choose and pay for only the cable networks we want, given the amount of explicit sex, grotesque violence and shocking profanity on cable networks that we currently subsidize on our cable bills, and we urge Sen. Isakson to use his position on the Senate Commerce Committee to make this happen. Why should we have to pay for MTV, FX or Comedy Central just to get networks like the Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, and the Discovery Channel?� said Carol Copeland, PTC Atlanta Chapter Director.

PTC research has shown that some of the most offensive content imaginable is now readily available on basic cable during all hours of the day.

�During these hard economic times, consumers do not need to pay for cable channels that they do not want or watch. With the exception of cable television, no other media sector requires customers to purchase a product they do not want � or that they may even find harmful or offensive � in order to consume a product that they do want,� Copeland continued. �If you purchase Sports Illustrated magazine, are you also forced to purchase People magazine? Such an idea would be absurd, but that�s a good example of the current cable model.�

A 2006 FCC study revealed that consumers� cable bills would decrease between 3 to 13 percent with cable choice. In an unrelated January 2007 report, the FCC found that cable rates nearly doubled in a 10-year time period.

PTC President Tim Winter explained why consumers cannot currently choose and pay for only the cable networks they want. �The cable network programmers have a chokehold on the public. They make billions of dollars every year by forcing consumers to pay them for channels they don�t watch, don�t want, and may actually find offensive. And the programmers force their bundle onto every distributor, whether it is a cable system or a satellite operator. There is no alternative,� he said. �The Senate should take the lead on making cable choice happen this year. Unfortunately, the cable networks have shown no willingness to make this happen.�

With the PTC�s web site, www.HowCableShouldBe.com, visitors can choose the cable networks they want, and then find out how much their cable bill would be if they only subscribed to the networks they wanted.

To speak with a representative from the Parents Television Council, please contact Kelly Oliver (ext. 140) or Megan Franko (ext. 148) at (703) 683-5004.

The Parents Television Council� (www.parentstv.org�) is a non-partisan education organization advocating responsible entertainment. It was founded in 1995 to ensure that children are not constantly assaulted by sex, violence and profanity on television and in other media. This national grassroots organization has more than 1.3 million members across the United States, and works with television producers, broadcasters, networks and sponsors in an effort to stem the flow of harmful and negative messages targeted to children. The PTC also works with elected and appointed government officials to enforce broadcast decency standards. Most importantly, the PTC produces critical research and publications documenting the dramatic increase in sex, violence and profanity in entertainment. This information is provided free of charge so parents can make informed viewing choices for their own families.