Choice in Cable Channels? Debate Heats Up. ; Minorities and Christians Raise Concerns That Individual Channel Pricing Will End Their Programs

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With everyone from consumer groups and minority organizations watching closely, Congress is poised to decide whether to enter a roiling debate over cable and satellite bills.

At issue is whether paying for TV channels should be like shopping at the supermarket, where customers choose the products they purchase, or like buying a newspaper, which comes packaged with the same sports, business, and comics sections regardless of whether readers want them all.

It's hardly a minor debate in a country where more than 90 million people subscribe to cable and satellite TV, with many forced to pay for dozens of channels regardless of how many they watch.

Customers do …