• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, December 8, 2009

Time Warner Cable says its politically charged Web site asking customers the loaded question -- how forceful to be in negotiating carriage deals with networks -- has had about 400,000 visitors since its Nov. 25 launch.

More broadly: Could TWC be angling to reignite the "a la carte" debate in Washington with a new administration in power?

CEO Glenn Britt indicated that was not the case Tuesday.

"I haven't been a big fan of a la carte," he reportedly said at a UBS investor conference. "The economics don't work for the programming part of the business, and ultimately, don't work for consumers. They do like to buy packages -- maybe not as big as the packages we offer now, but they do like packages."

The aggressive TWC site, RollOverOrGetTough.com, says networks are "price-gouging ... driving up the cost of cable."

TWC says some networks are looking for a 300% increases in fees, which is "impossible for us to absorb without passing on some of that cost to you."

Among the visitors to the site, TWC says 150,000 have left comments. And it appears some may -- perhaps unintentionally -- be suggesting an "a la carte" option is preferable. According to TWC, visitors say they want a chance to purchase a small group of channels, not a massive menu.

Previous FCC Chairman Kevin Martin endorsed "a la carte" pricing, where consumers could cherry-pick channels they want to buy. It is unclear whether the current FCC will take up the hot-button issue. Programming conglomerates with a slew of channels oppose "a la carte," partly because they can benefit from deals where an operator agrees to carry a slew of its networks, including low-rated ones.

Also, programmers fear that some of those lower-tier channels could go out of business. For example, people would likely pay for ESPN, but ESPN Classic would probably become history.

"One comment we're hearing pretty consistently is that customers would like the choice to buy smaller packages of channels," Britt said in a statement. "As an industry, we need to listen to those kinds of concerns."

In addition to the Web site, TWC is running some ads behind "Roll Over or Get Tough."