Dish Network Chairman Charlie Ergen says skipping TV commercials can shield children from advertising for fast food and alcohol, making a further argument in support of his company’s technology that lets consumers zap ads.

Ergen, in written testimony for a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing in Washington today, defended the ad-skipping technology that has come under fire in lawsuits by broadcast networks.

“This means allowing your kids to watch TV doesn’t have to mean that they have no choice but to see commercials for junk food and alcohol,” he said in the prepared remarks.

CBS, News Corp.’s Fox, and Comcast’s NBCUniversal have sued the No. 2 satellite provider for selling the “autohop” feature for its new digital video recorder that enables subscribers to automatically skip ads in recorded programs.