Choice Words For Local Choice

Some veteran fans of a la carte and retransmission reform are getting behind "Local Choice," a Senate Commerce Committee proposal to allow multichannel video programming distributor (MVPD) subscribers to decide which TV stations they want to include in their tier of cable service.

That proposal would upend the retransmission negotiation process, turning cable operators into fee collectors for broadcasters, but eliminating the requirement that all cable operators deliver retransmission stations to all customers, and on the so-called "must buy" tier.

Dish, which is part of a coalition pushing for retransmission reforms to try to keep those fees in check, praised the plan as a part of the must-pass Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act legislation.

Parents Television Council President Tim Winter, while he conceded there would be more work to do on the a la carte front, said he sees Local Choice as a good start in ending blackouts and giving consumers more choice.