The average Joe or Josephine probably doesn’t know it yet, but their cablevision bills could increase later this year without their authorization.

That’s because the federal government is trying to come up with a way to prop up Canwest Global Communications Corp. without riling the other private broadcasters.

The obvious solution is something the broadcasters like to call “fee-for-carriage” for conventional television.

I’ll translate this term: it means charging cable customers a fee to watch conventional Canadian television stations that carry shows like Desperate Housewives and the Global and CTV national newscasts.

Earlier this month, CTVglobemedia executive vice president Paul Sparkes said in a news release that the conventional television model is “broken”.

This comment came after the company eliminated 118 positions at A channels across the country.

“In the long term, the only real solution is fee-for-carriage,” Sparkes said.

Last year, the broadcast regulator—the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission—rejected fee-for-carriage for conventional television stations.

However, the broadcasters are allowed to collect a fee from those who subscribe to specialty channels higher up on the dial.

It’s a risky game for the politicians to overrule the CRTC and extend these fees to conventional stations.

In 1995, Rogers Cablevision imposed fees on subscribers for specialty channels.

This so-called “negative option” billing—in which customers had to opt out to avoid paying the fees—caused a consumer revolt, with 100,000 calls pouring into the offices of Rogers each week, according to a report in Maclean's.

Irate consumers were bringing their cable boxes into the office and dumping them on the counter.

I can still remember when Rogers Cablesystems then-president, Colin Watson, came to Vancouver to apologize. Why Vancouver? Because this region was where the protests were the most vociferous.

If the Harper government decides to impose fees on cable subscribers to save Canwest, I won't be surprised if some consumers react in a similar manner this year.