This article describes the about face of the FCC.  A year ago, they said that paying for cable channels à la carte would cost the consumer more.  Now, the new chairman argues that doing so would benefit the consumer for it would allow people to purchase only the channels they desire and not be forced into buying packages that do not align neatly align with what they would like to have.  Moreover, this move could be good for the children, insofar as it would allow parents to avoid certain channels altogether, which is currently impossible.  The article proposes that regulation allow for cable industries to either continue selling in blocks or experiment with à la carte distribution.  It is, of course, difficult to predict the consequences of such a change in industry practices.