New Cable TV Options Called Insufficient

U.S. cable television providers have not done enough to give customers more choices despite unveiling new packages of family-oriented programming, Federal Communications Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate said.

After pressure from U.S. lawmakers and regulators, top cable operators, including Comcast Corp. and Time Warner Inc., said they planned to offer family packages but resisted calls for subscribers to be able to pay for only the channels they want.

“I’ve been applauding them, but at the same time I’ve been saying I don’t think you’ve gone far enough,” Tate told the National Assn. of Broadcasters.