The Federal Communications Commission has been particularly active recently, yesterday banning sole-provider deals between cable companies and apartments and in recent weeks reopening the whole thorny issue of media deregulation. Now media people are wondering when chairman Kevin Martin will start pushing another of his favorite ideas, cable a la carte. A new study could give his cause a boost. According to polling firm Zogby International, consumers are in favor of getting to choose the cable channels they subscribe to but are wary of any system that would increase already pricey cable bills. Zogby found that more than half of respondents would favor an a la carte system, though 37 percent think such a system would raise their bills. A large majority, 82 percent, already think their cable bills are too high. Indeed, SNL Kagan says that cable bills have more than doubled since 1995, to almost $80 per month per household. Stephanie DeVries, assistant communications director at Zogby International, talks to Media Life about why some consumers are wary of losing niche networks, how this compares with other a la carte polls, and whether the findings bolster Martin’s case.

 
What did you find most interesting or most surprising about this poll?
 
The results were pretty much in line with what we expected, but we were a bit surprised that 21 percent of cable subscribers don’t have a problem with paying for channels that they don’t watch.

Do consumers really understand what an a la carte cable system is?
 
The survey didn’t delve into the concepts behind a la carte cable but rather gauged cable subscribers’ general preference to receive their cable channels in a bulk package or to purchase channels individually.

We found that while 35 percent are satisfied with the current system, more than half (52 percent) would rather pick and choose which channels they want. It’s hard to say at this point exactly how an a la carte system would work, but most favor the concept.
 

More than half of customers say they only want to buy the channels they want. What's the biggest reason for this desire for consumer control?
 
Even as cable offerings have grown, I think the survey shows many subscribers may find themselves in a situation where they’re still watching a small percentage of the total channel offerings from their cable package, even as their channel packages may have greatly increased in size and in price.

Most people wouldn’t want to go to a restaurant where they eat only a salad but are charged for an expensive steak dinner. The same concept applies to what many people seem to want from their cable companies. They want to be able to choose from a menu of channels, not be forced to order (and pay for) all of them.
 

Do people think that an a la carte system will save them money? Why or why not?
 
There was quite a bit of division among cable subscribers when presented with this question: 37 percent believed the average cost to subscribers would be more with an a la carte system, while 39 percent thought subscribers would save money. Ten percent don’t think there would be any difference in price with an a la carte system and another 13 percent said they weren’t sure.

The mixed response is quite understandable, given that a la carte cable programming is just a concept at this point.

The amount of channels subscribers watch also may play into the results. Those that watch only a few channels may be pretty confident they’d be getting a better deal under an a la carte system, while those who watch more channels may fear that if the individual channel prices were high enough they wouldn’t be getting such a bargain compared to the current bulk package system.
 

Networks are concerned that niche channels would be hurt by a la carte. Is that a concern at all to consumers?
 
Most cable subscribers aren’t that concerned about the possibility of losing niche channels (52 percent). These also may be people who don’t watch those channels, so they don’t feel they would personally be losing anything.

But 42 percent sided with some programmers who have raised concerns that some of these smaller, less well-known channels could be lost. They’re concerned about the possibility, and may be especially worried if one of those lesser-known channels is among their favorites.
 

How does this poll compare with past surveys done on a la carte cable?
 
Polls from other organizations show strong support for purchasing cable channels individually. This is actually the first survey we’ve done at Zogby International on how cable subscribers feel about a la carte cable.

We do a considerable amount of polling on consumer issues. The results of this latest poll were featured in our monthly Zogby’s American Consumer newsletter. And as potential changes to the world of cable continue to be a hot topic, I expect we’ll be doing more polling on this subject in the future.
 

Does it serve to back up Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin's assertion that we should have a la carte cable?
 
The survey shows that based on the concept of purchasing channels individually verses as bulk channel packages, there is a clear consumer preference for a la carte cable.

But cost is a huge issue for cable subscribers: 82 percent believe the current costs they pay for cable are too high and nearly half (46 percent) believe those costs are much too high.

Even though there is a desire out there among many subscribers for a la carte cable, there’s a lot of uncertainty if changing the current system would help lower costs.

The findings do give support to Kevin Martin’s efforts to make a la carte cable a reality. Consumers want choice, but what they want most is cable costs to be brought under control.