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Multichannel News — March 98. 1988
<br />Cabbagts & Kings
<br />The Time Has Come
<br />For Universal Service
<br />By Thi,,rriaa P . Southwick
<br />WASIIING'f1N --The cahlc telryl%ron indii%try,
<br />filler a long, unbrokrn string of victories in the
<br />Congress. the courts and at the Federal Couuouni-
<br />ration% CummiRSion, now find% itself on the de -
<br />fen! -iv- in the peFihc-policy arena
<br />Sot tar there has been more smoke than fire. The
<br />Justice Department, whose leader is up to his
<br />�. eyeball% in his own
<br />trouble%, hoot shown no
<br />real inclination to pumir
<br />('fills to break up the
<br />(1nhle "cartel "The nnti-
<br />i trust cru%ade in the Sen-
<br />nte is IN•ing led by Sea
<br />•� i Ilt,ward Mett:enbauni
<br />• ID -MI), an unahaahed
<br />liberal in a decidedly
<br />conservnlive Senate The
<br />FCC's likely vole to re-
<br />imlNi%r syndiral,-d ex-
<br />clu%ivity cony Kill off superstatiorm but it won't
<br />dent the valtir of rable systrrus, which hove n vast
<br />array of other programming sources The Gore bill
<br />is a h+ng way from law, and even if it did pass, ;t
<br />would not damage the core or( the cable!;iisinrvv
<br />But all the%:- !Nits are Moiling, and cable is hard-
<br />pressed to keep them all under control. A few
<br />years ago cable was lighting for change Today it
<br />is defending the state% quo
<br />Such a ,Iratrgy will brrnme less effective with
<br />lime In Ili- first place, lite higher Cable get%, the
<br />more pressure there will he to incren%e regulation
<br />(.able might he able to slave off reregOalion
<br />todriv, while it serves only all percent of TV
<br />hooters flirt tit,- task will he a lot tougher when
<br />penetration renchrs 70 or Ml lieicent
<br />ily then rahle will he viewed a% n necessity. not
<br />a luxurN, particular!► not iuorr l,opular shows stove
<br />h► cable from broadcast %%'lien SlwrtsChannel
<br />loolt the New York Yankee" fill broadcast and
<br />onto (lay cable it lirnmptel a bltLZnrd (if legi,lntivr
<br />prolot,aais still preys menses fr+tnt area ron-
<br />grrsamrn Hut that was nothing v ompared to what
<br />would haplten if, say, the World Series werr to
<br />herv,me table-exchusive, a% 'fed Tnrnrr and mottle
<br />of his collragurs %rem to iniend
<br />And the lai%%ra fairy Ju%tire Department of lid
<br />Merse won't last forr%er Art eager urw nitornry
<br />genrinl, r%peciaHv if them is ever t000tlier Drnm-
<br />crefir adnoiniatrntion, mis:lit %er nn effort In break
<br />,rl, the -able "monoli oly" a" just the tit-liet to grab
<br />lavorable headlines and vain Benue new pals in
<br />tlnllvwood at the %nnir tittle
<br />'I'o licnd till otoch trouble%, cable nerd% It, irrl off
<br />the defensive nod begin Ili offer sonte "tiggeations
<br />of it" own ulionut how it alight lie expected Io
<br />hchnvr when it gains the kind of bower its Iraders
<br />Fitt, • in mind .
<br />That went% to he uhe objective of the tniks now
<br />under way' belwern nurvie-industry and cable
<br />leaders
<br />ihil the poir.t is not only to arrive fit some kind
<br />of a "dent" that will rnsure that lilt, Moy" on i(Ode(W
<br />Drive can %fill afford high-test gas for their l(olls-
<br />I(tovices Thnt kind of Irenty can lie achieved, bill
<br />it dt,evn'1 fully avower five problem.
<br />(:nble'% real objective should he to redefine iU
<br />ininge and to shield itself ngninst charges that it i%
<br />operaiing against the public interest
<br />'I'll do that requires a bold stroke
<br />One such bold stroke would he to offer a univer-
<br />sal srrvire for nil TV households at a minimal rvwt
<br />Such a %rr%ice might eonoti%t of six or seven
<br />channels: CNN or Headline News, C-SPAN, The
<br />Weather Channel. a religious service, lire [,earn-
<br />ing Channel, Nirkelodron, a Itw-nl origination
<br />channel and perhaps one or two others
<br />The price fonld lie %et at something like $2 of
<br />month, or even 1•41 up to local conimunitir% to
<br />regulate in return, -able would have tit lie ns-
<br />sured Iliat it would remain free to set the rate% for
<br />miter tiers and to deckle channel liurup%
<br />Emithlishment of such a universal �vr ice would
<br />serve to refute the charge that cable is a n-ce%sity
<br />which hn% limn priced oil; of reach of the lNxur tt in
<br />onr society. It would allow It velli4'le to ethibil
<br />events that are lNilitically sensitive Congre%%
<br />could hardly argue against a cable -exclusive World
<br />Scrie if it were available to everyone in the nntitm
<br />at a charge of $2 charge for a month'% worth of
<br />univeral service (The vast mnjority r,l uuhscri-
<br />bers, col course, w,nld sign up for higher lier% and
<br />world pay considerably morr)
<br />Universal service would al%o give cnhle a wire
<br />into just about everyho dy's home, and could he
<br />used to pitch nth; r viers or to offer pny-per-view or
<br />h,,nir shopping
<br />Finally, universal c-Mt: service would provide a
<br />real benefit to the nation It is arguable that the
<br />(whore%t people in the country are those Alto might
<br />iornefit the most from cable service from an
<br />ebecational service that allows them Ili take
<br />course% at homr, from a cltilolrrn's channel that
<br />doesn't force latchkey kids to-tubnist on a diet of
<br />program -length commercials and front nrws and
<br />information channels that allow rvrn the id-re-0
<br />• ittrctis tit be informed
<br />'1 he cable industry has alwav% been prrtty 1-rid
<br />at ct.ming up with clever ways to roml►ine gutwd
<br />businr%s with wtwxd poblir relations and world pub -
<br />lie (w,licy C SPAN, Illack Enterlainmrnt Trlc
<br />vision and CNN are a `ew rtamples A universal
<br />cable at•rvicr within the firtanria) renth of all
<br />Americans might lw rahle's Crowning tit ltio%entent
<br />and save it a lot of headaAws down the retail a%
<br />well I I
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