OXNARD : Cable Company Blocks Adult Channel

The cable provider for Oxnard, Port Hueneme, El Rio and some incorporated areas of western Ventura County has begun blocking out the Spice Network, an adult channel to all but those customers with a special filter.

Jones Intercable of Oxnard was harshly criticized in March by a small but vocal group of residents and religious leaders who complained that despite scrambling, the sexually explicit audio portion of the Spice channel, as well as an occasional nude image, could be heard and seen on certain televisions. Spice is a pay-per-view adult network that charges $5.95 per movie.

“Out of our 40,000 customers, about 50 complained,” said Jeff Jones, general manager of Jones Intercable. “More people use it than complain about it. But we felt that the people who complained had a good point and that it was important to (block) it.”

The cable company responded by purchasing a new scrambling system and sending small $6 filters free of charge to the 4,500 cable customers who have ordered Spice movies since the channel’s debut in January. The devices fit on the back of cable converter boxes and allow Spice to come through unfettered. The entire project cost Jones Intercable about $30,000, Jones said.