Wlady, perhaps my post wasn't clear enough, but you are
mistaken. Government does not mandate the 5-cent contribution. It's
totally voluntary. That is, it's up to the individual cable
companies to decide whether they want to carry C-Span. It's only
mandated in the sense that if your cable company chooses to offer
C-Span, you have to pay the five cents. Just as you may have to
help subsidize other stations you may not care to watch. It's a
bundled service, not offered a la carte--that's why I made the
analogy to the buffet.