Canadian government to require TV providers to unbundle channels

The Canadian government has announced that it will soon require TV providers within the country to offer viewers the ability to pick and choose television channels. Lawmakers in Canada believe that cable and satellite TV subscribers should be able to purchase only the channels they watch, rather than being forced to buy bundles.

The announcement that Canada would be forcing cable and satellite TV providers to offer a la carte pricing was made by industry Minister James Moore when he appeared on a CTV program called Question Period. Reports indicate that some satellite and cable TV providers within Canada have already started to offer al a carte programming options.

This trend is expected to become more common with providers in Canada and move to the US eventually. Most satellite and cable TV subscribers will agree that many of the channels included with huge bundles offer content they don't watch. The Canadian government has plans to tackle other industries where policies aren't always consumer friendly.

According to Moore, during the next parliamentary session the government will look into preventing airline overbooking and placing limitations on domestic wireless roaming rates. Moore said that limitations on international roaming rates are coming, but the government believes domestic roaming rates need to be capped as well.

SOURCE: Reuters