ISPs complained about Biden-era rule, said listing every fee was too hard.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr says Internet service providers shouldn’t have to list every fee they charge. Responding to a request from cable and telecom lobby groups, he is proposing to eliminate a rule that requires ISPs to itemize various fees in broadband price labels that must be made available to consumers.
The rule took effect in April 2024 after the FCC rejected ISPs’ complaints that listing every fee they created would be too difficult. The rule applies specifically to recurring monthly fees “that providers impose at their discretion, i.e., charges not mandated by a government.”
ISPs could comply with the rule either by listing the fees or by dropping the fees altogether and, if they choose, raising their overall prices by a corresponding amount. But the latter option wouldn’t fit with the strategy of enticing customers with a low advertised price and hitting them with the real price on their monthly bills. The broadband price label rules were created to stop ISPs from advertising misleadingly low prices.
I have a pretty crazy idea, so hear me out. How about… we don’t charge so many fees? Especially for a country where the choice of ISP is often at the behest of the ISPs. Crazy, I know.
Every price includes various fees, costs, and other expenses. Most businesses list a single price for a thing so you know what you are going to pay.
The problem isn’t the ‘fees’, it is separating them to pretend the cost is lower than it actually is.
ISPs are doing the opposite.
They advertise a price and stack an assload of fees on top. A few of those fees are out of their control, but the majority are fees they themselves are charging.
69.99 a month for 100 Mbps suddenly becomes 170 dollars after taxes and fees.
If you happen to live in an area where Google fiber threatens to compete, suddenly a plan appears where those fees magically disappear, and you get a decent rate for gigabit Internet.
Or if you threaten to cancel and get redirected to “customer retention.” Amazing how “sorry there’s nothing we can do” becomes “looks like we can make a few changes to your plan since you are a valued customer.” But that’s why they lobby so hard to be a monopoly. Can’t cancel their service if they’re the only service provider in hundreds of miles.
This is becoming less and less true. Ive tried this a few times in the last few years and they told me to just go ahead and cancel. One was Comcast who told me they wouldn’t give me an intro rate and the only way to get it was to cancel and have someone else sign up for a new plan.
that’s exactly what i meant by “at the behest of the ISPs”. You can’t go anywhere else in the USA, unless you move, and you might just well end up on the same ISP again. I live in Australia, and while the NBN has its issues, it’s better than the american system, because you can go to any isp you want. Someone offering a cheaper service? BAM. Change ISP in a few short clicks.
Can’t they just lump all the fees together?
Main product itself: 10
Unspecified fees (don’t ask): 160
They’re usually lumped together in a section on the bill but broken out by fee.
Having taken the calls from people wanting information on the fees, I’m sure the only reason they do tell you what they all are is to cut back on the swarm of angry callers wanting to know why their bill is so high.
How is that the opposite, and not exactly what they described?
here, the cable company currently is actually billing the advertised price if you’re an internet-only customer. no taxes, fees, or other bullshit other than their ridiculously-high equipment fee if you want to use their wifi router. their rates also go up once or twice a year just because they value your continued business and don’t want you to feel left out.
the telephone company, on the other hand, if you have dsl–look out. at least 25-40% in extra bullshit fees, nearly all of it is kept by them (i.e. not simply a pass-through to the government).