If you want to see "The Sopranos," you don't have to buy a package of 20 channels any more just to get HBO. Or, fans of "Soul Food" now can pick up Showtime by itself.

Jeff Chester, executive of the Center for Digital Democracy, a consumer group, explains that a relatively new federal rule could cut your cable bill.

Chester said a consumer who wants only HBO, Showtime or any other premium or pay-per-view channel is no longer forced to purchase a whole tier of networks and can simply tell the cable operator, "Just bill me for the channel I want, please."

Chester said you might not have heard about the new option because cable companies have kept quiet about it because the industry doesn't want to lose the millions of dollars it makes each month from captive customers who are forced to buy extra channels.

Business Week magazine estimates that typical households could save more than $20 a month buying one premium channel individually without all the extras.