But only where it’s seeing competition…

by Karl Bode Broadband DSL Report.com

Earlier this month we told you how Bell Canada was now offering a VDSL-based “Fibe” broadband service, which is bundled with IPTV service like AT&T U-Verse here in the States. According to the CBC, Bell is now embracing “a la carte” pricing, where users can pay only for the channels they like.

According to Bell, users can choose 15 channels for $15, 20 for $19 or 30 for $22 — or individual channels for $2 each. This is only being offered in areas with heavier competition (primarily from Videotron), but Bell apparently can’t say this out loud:

“According to its website, Bell is not offering a la carte channels in Ontario, its other main television territory. Bell spokesperson Julie Smithers could not say why that was. Rogers, Bell’s chief TV rival in Ontario, does offer individual channels on top of basic service at a typical cost of $2.79 each. Basic television services in Ontario from both Bell and Rogers start at around $35 and $30, respectively”

Here in the States, we’ve spent a good part of the decade covering the debate over a la carte TV pricing. If you recall, the FCC first issued a report saying that the idea would result in higher prices for consumers, only to turn around a year later to issue a report that supported the idea. The idea has been championed and subsequently forgotten by politicians, much to the joy of cable operators, broadcasters and smaller TV channels — who all know that consumers would happily pay less money for only a handful of channels. Those consumers are still waiting.

As an aside, users in our Bell forum are signing up for Bell’s new Fibe service and are offering their impressions in this thread for those interested.

From TechDirt