In most homes with cable television, the number of channels that people pay for can run as high as 60, 100, even double or triple that count.

Typically, most watch only about 17 or so. If those same consumers went to a restaurant, they wouldn’t have to order the entire menu to get a burger and fries. If they wanted to subscribe to Time magazine, they wouldn’t also have to order GQ and Bon Appétit.

According to a growing collection of consumer advocates and politicians, including a prominent U.S. senator, cable television should be the same.

“If you didn’t have this, you’d pay more for the individual pieces,” said Jimmy Schaeffler, senior analyst with the Carmel Group, a Carmel-by-the-Sea telecommunications consulting firm…