JOHN McCAIN 
AfUlONA 
COMMITIEE ON ARMED SERVICES 
COMMITIEE ON HEALTH, 
EDUCATION LABOR, AND PENSIONS llnitcd ~tatcs ~mate 
COMMITfEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY 
AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS 
COMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS 
Acting Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn 
Federal Communications Commission 
445 li11 Street SW 
' Washington, DC 20554 
Dear Acting Chairwoman Clyburn: 
June 12, 2013 
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The time has come for television video consumers to have the option to either purchase 
individual channels or the tiers of channels currently offered by cable and satellite companies. 
Today, this option does not exist and consumers are forced to buy channels they do not want. 
This is wrong and action should be taken. 
Recently, I introduced legislation to provide consumers with the option to purchase television 
channels individually from their cable or satellite provider, otherwise known as multichannel 
video programming distributor (MVPD). My legislation, the Television Consumer Freedom Act, 
contains no mandates and uses existing law to incentivize greater choice in the video market for 
consumers. The current television video market forces consumers to pay for channels they do 
not watch. 
If enacted, my legislation would allow programming tiers to remain, but also incentivize the 
offering of individual channels to consumers. If the MVPDs are right, and the current tiered 
programming model is the best value for consumers, then the programmers who bundle their 
television channels and the MVPDs that offer tiers to consumers should not be afraid of an a Ia 
carte option for consumers. My instinct tells me they are wrong, and industry references to a 
"Golden Age" of television apply to everyone but the American consumer. 
Opponents of my legislation suggest that the current model of offering television programming 
in tiers provide consumers with the best available value. But with studies fmding cable prices 
increasing over six percent a year over the last 16 years, and consumers on average only 
watching 18 of the 130 channels they purchase, what consumers really believe they are getting a 
good deal? The truth is the current socialized television model, where popular channels are 
subsidizing less popular channels, is incredibly anti-consumer. 
The response to my legislation has been astounding. Consumers want options that the current 
television market is not providing. Clearly, this begins with providing consumers with greater 
control over what they pay for. As policymakers, I believe it is our responsibility to lend voice 
to the American consumer, call attention to clear market unfairness, and shift the current 
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June 12,2013
Page Two
Offiee of Senator John McCain
regulatory balance towards consumers. For too long, the government has entered the market on
behalf of special interest to afford businesses the opportunity to develop and markets to mature.
That time has passed. As such, I call on the Commission to review this issue and take steps to
shift this balance toward consumers, by providing consumers with greater choice when
purchasing television video.
er Y)k~ .
ohn McCain
United States Senator