Wireless competition in cable leading to deregulation across the country

Citing competition from Verizon wireless, Cox Communications has petitioned the FCC to deny Fairfax County, Virginia, the right to set its basic cable and equipment rates.

The Washington Post reports that the agency has already deregulated 255 communities in response to petitions from cable providers. Verizon, a wireless company, has been offering video in parts of Fairfax for a week. "Lifting [Fairfax] regulations would give us more flexibility ... to respond to our competitors," a Cox spokesperson explained.

Two key media groups—The Consumer''s Union (CU) and Parent's Television Council (PTC)—have issued statements supporting FCC Chair Kevin Martin's "a la carte" proposal for cable television.

Martin called for the unbundling of cable packages at yesterday's forum on decency held by the Senate Commerce Committee. He urged broadcasters to "allow consumers to choose a specific number of channels from a menu of available programming for a fixed price — e.g., 10 channels for $20, 20 channels for $30 etc. Parents then would be able to receive — and pay for — only that programming that they are comfortable bringing into their homes."

The Consumer''s Union praised Martin's suggestion on their Web site. "Cable companies and broadcasters have fought a la carte pricing for years, hiding behind the fallacious argument that popular and unpopular programming had to be bundled together to keep all programming afloat ... " declared the group''s spokesperson Gene Kimmelman. "Today, Chairman Martin has blown a huge hole through this fortress of deceit."