Family tier satellite style

DirecTV announced today that it would begin offering a family-friendly tier or package of programming. No word on price. Many of the major cable companies (although not Adelphia) have announced family packages to address critics who want a true a la carte system, where subscribers pay for individual channels rather than packages.

While a family package may do something to get the FCC off cable and satellite companies' backs, when I wrote about a la carte a few weeks ago, many of the responses I got were from people who were concerned about money, not content. They believed an a la carte system would be cheaper, or at least fairer. I've got my doubts it would end up being cheaper for the average subscriber, but a family tier won't address those concerns anyway.