Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/

[matusiak <dave AT matusiak.org>]

I only want 2 channels.  The Daily Show and a 24-hour "The Simpsons" 
channel.

http://www.publicintegrity.org/telecom/report.aspx?aid=395&sid=200

Anatomy of a Lobbying Blitz
Cable industry enlists diverse crowd in high-level influence campaign

By John Dunbar

WASHINGTON, October 8, 2004 — When a conservative member of Congress 
floated the idea of allowing consumers to pick which channels they want 
to pay for rather than having to buy a "bundle" of channels they may 
never watch, it seemed like a pretty good idea.

Rather than pay a flat fee for dozens of channels, consumers could 
choose a handful of channels "a la carte," or from a menu—and possibly 
pay far less for their service.

Among the hundreds of initiatives tracked by the cable television 
industry and its army of lobbyists, a la carte is among the most 
feared. A re-regulation of the industry could cost cable companies 
control over programming and jeopardize an economic model that has 
helped the industry maintain huge profits over the years. The industry 
has argued that a la carte service would increase costs to consumers 
rather than lower their cable bills.