Cable fee battles point to smaller TV bundles

Cable companies, burdened by the cost of programing, are starting to seriously consider something they have long resisted: letting television subscribers pay for just those channels they want to watch.

For years consumer advocates, regulators and politicians have argued that cable TV providers should allow consumers to choose their own TV channels or buy smaller packages, rather than bundle around 100 fixed channels at prices usually starting around $50 a month. The cable industry has traditionally pushed back against the so called 'a la carte' proposal, arguing such plans would be uneconomical and harm niche cable networks included in the packages. But the attitude of cable operators is starting to change. Faced with rising programing costs, they are now asking if they should drop some networks from basic bundles in a bid to keep down the prices they charge customers. They are also raising the possibility of letting customers decide what channels they want.