Costly A La Carte

An 11-page report from The Center for Public Integrity that unearths all the usual dirt against cable (monopolistic prices, poor customer service etc.) alleges cable has orchestrated the seemingly grass roots anti-a la carte opposition of minority interest groups with hefty contributions. The implication is that cable’s lined the pockets of minority groups in return for their opposition to a la carte. "In fact, rather than being disinterested, these third parties have much to gain [from blasting a la carte]. The Center has identified hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations and other benefits showered by cable companies on some of these nonprofits." A la carte enemy The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation has received $590K during the past 2 years from NCTA, Comcast, Time Warner and Viacom-all of whom are regular sponsors of the caucus’ annual legislative conference, the report says. The folks at NCTA will earn their keep slapping this one away. See the report at: http://www.publicintegrity.org/telecom/report.aspx?aid=395&sid=200.