Cox Communications Inc., joining Time Warner Cable and Comcast Corp., said Tuesday that it would launch a $32-per-month family-programming package, with initial rollouts in San Diego; Tulsa and Oklahoma City, Okla.; and northern Virginia in the first quarter.
Cable operators are putting together family-friendly tiers in response to political pressure from Congress and the Federal Communications Commission. But some cable critics, such as the Parents Television Council, insist that allowing consumers to buy cable programming on a per-channel or a la carte basis is preferable to programming tiers devoid of racy content.
In a statement, Cox said its “Family Package” would include 40 channels, combining local TV stations from the basic tier with some well-known names from expanded basic like C-SPAN, Disney Channel, CNN Headline News, Nickelodeon and Discovery Communications Inc.’s The Science Channel.
Cox added that local systems "have the ability to tailor the package" by adding The Weather Channel, Weatherscan Local, C-SPAN2 or C-SPAN3 and religious and Spanish-language channels.
Including a set-top equipped with an interactive program guide and parental controls, the Family Package will have a monthly average cost of $32, Cox said.
In forming the Family Package, Cox said it sought channels that were effectively G-rated and that would not include "objectionable content or disturbing images.”
