Why not pull the plug on cable

[Commentary] Millions of Time Warner Cable subscribers deprived of CBS and Showtime have every reason to be enraged. But they should put that anger to good use.

The standoff tells us something important about the television industry. Despite urging from the Federal Communications Commission, countless angry customers and an array of elected officials, a cable operator already reviled for its skyrocketing rates can't cut a deal with an entertainment behemoth that just trumpeted its best financial quarter ever. Perhaps if neither of them values the other enough to come to an agreement, we should ask a basic question: Is the marriage really worth saving?

We don't have any idea how this prolonged battle will play out. But it's already made one thing clear: We can't count on the combatants to have our best interests in mind. And that should be an excellent motivation to explore what else is out there. In the end, this battle of titans just might leave us with more money in our pockets and all we need on our screens.