That has nothing to do with FCC regulations and I do like HGTV and Food Network, but that comes down to a matter of preference. Many of the second and third tier channels come as package with the most desired channels. For example, ABC is owned by Disney. When Disney and Verizon negotiate a price for Verizon to carry ABC part of the deal is also carrying other channels, which may not be of that much value to either Verizon or most customers. Verizon as well as Comcast or TimeWarner or any other TV service provider has to show these channels if they want to show ABC as well. Same applies to News Corp. If the providers want to broadcast Fox then only if they also carry channels such as FX, Speed, or YES. There are also a few others who have entire packages with one or two popular channels and a bunch of fluff that is only produced so that the blocks of commercials do not rub against each other.
This makes it also difficult for small TV stations such as TheCoolTV (about the only music station that actually plays music videos!!) to get picked up by TV service providers and typically only if one of the full service stations that runs over the air broadcast needs something to keep frequencies going.
The only FCC mandate that I know of is the educational program that full service stations have to run for at least three hours a week. This typically some children's program.
I wish that we could pick and choose only the channels we are interested in or have a pay as you watch option. Only if one watches a channel for more than 5 minutes a fee is charged, such as 25 cents for the hour. That would put any of the shopping channels or many other channels right out of business and therefore reduce the amount of commercial time that the local and national stations can sell. That then makes producing some decent program more expensive and most likely financially uninteresting. In the end it comes down to money that we pay to get the bits that we want among the junk that most don't care about. But as I mentioned above, people have different preferences. I could do with all the baseball, hockey, football, and basketball stuff, it is either too violent for my taste or too boring. Yet, for others that is the sole reason to get TV service in the first place. In the end we are all in this together, so I pay for the channels that you like and I never watch while you pay for HGTV and Food Network. As far as I'm concerned, you are welcome! 
@xxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:Why is everyone subjected to paying for unused/unwanted channels? For example, ESPN delivers little value as does Food Network, Bravo, HGTV, etc. I could go on and on and on................I don't want to hear some lame excuse about FCC requirements......we all know that it's just **bleep**. C'mon verizon, be a leader, or do you want to be just like Comcast?
To add to JustGotFiOS's very well-written response, ESPN is one of the most popular and profitable channels out there.
ESPN is a unit of Walt Disney and has rights to the major sports leagues and college sports for football, baseball, basketball, soccer, golf, car racing, etc. presented in a multitude of platforms for TV, online and mobile applications.
It is not just a TV network, it is a branded franchise that is an integral force in sports programming and marketing.
On the other hand, HGTV and the Food Network cater to consumers' more domestic pursuits of home improvement and food preparation. Bravo is owned by NBCUniversal and broadcasts popular culture content featuring celebrities, reality series, fashion/makeover shows, cooking competitions, etc.
Television is one of the formats for receiving entertainment... and to each is certainly his/her own.
The TV service providers such as Verizon attempt to cater to a variety of demographics and preferences; hence,
you have sports channels, women's shows, family/kids shows, movies, news and information, documentaries, game shows, music stations and various series or individual showings of comedy, drama, crime/mystery/horror/sci-fi, action/adventure, romance, history, country, pop culture, film noir, animation, etc.
There is even international programming available for those who speak another language.
With all the choices out there, it's tough to pick what to watch at home on a chilly winter evening.
I am glad that there are MANY options out there to choose from, though, as opposed to being limited to what I can see based on the louder voices or more demanding consumers.
Perhaps in the future the pay-as-you-go TV plan might have some actual merit, especially with the seeming intermingling of television, internet and mobile technology.
Telecommunications has definitely gone a long way... 