12/15/2023 0 Comments Router tool rental![]() ![]() Notably, neither of the two cable industry trade associations mentioned this issue in any detail in their comments filed last month at the Commission."Ĭonsumer Reports said that some of the responses "suggest the statute is not being complied with as vigorously as Congress intended. and also to solicit consumer opinion on whether or not it was difficult to use consumer-owned equipment versus renting those devices from the provider. In its call for public input, the FCC asked for comment on "the extent to which (if at all) subject entities continue to assess charges for equipment that are expressly prohibited by the statute." The FCC's specific questions were as follows:įor example, are any providers of covered services or fixed broadband Internet access services continuing to impose fees on consumers for the use of covered equipment that has been provided by the consumer? Are such providers assessing charges for the rental, lease, or provision of covered equipment that they have not provided to the consumer? Are any such providers imposing fees for the rental, lease, or provision of covered equipment that the consumer has returned to the provider, and which fees otherwise are not permissible under the statute?"Ĭonsumer Reports said its questions for members were "designed to measure whether or not ISPs were in compliance. Frontier claims the charge is "necessary to ensure 24x7 support of Internet access." Potential violations We've written multiple stories about Frontier's sneaky "Internet Infrastructure Surcharge," which was raised from $4 to $7 per month last year. So in my mind, Frontier did a bait and switch and is just trying to play the bogus fee game but not calling it a router fee any longer." "However, a few months later, Frontier increased their infrastructure charge (another bogus fee) about $3 or $4 if I recall correctly. "After the router fee was made illegal by the act of Congress, I quickly called up Frontier to have the fee removed, which they did going forward," wrote a customer in Flower Mound, Texas. Now they don't have that explicit fee, but they do charge an 'Internet Infrastructure Surcharge' ($6.99) and a 'Frontier Secure Personal Security Bundle' ($5.99 after 'discount')," a customer in Torrance, California, wrote. "Frontier FiOS used to charge me a router fee, although I have my own router. Complaints included in the Consumer Reports filing indicate that Frontier has complied with the law but is still annoying customers with other fees. Absurd as it may sound, consumers were being made to pay for something they neither purchased nor needed to receive Internet service." AdvertisementĬongress subsequently passed the law banning such bogus charges. Frontier Communications reportedly was charging a monthly rental fee for broadband modems provided to consumers even when consumers were not using that equipment because they were already using their own purchased modem and/or routers. The group's new FCC filing noted that its earlier research "confirmed a disturbing new business practice first reported by Ars Technica in 2019. ![]() Frontier’s bogus rental fee was outlawedĬonsumer Reports has been researching cable bills for years. The FCC filing includes examples of complaints about AT&T, Comcast, Verizon, Charter Spectrum, Frontier, Windstream, and Cox, though the complaints weren't all about rental fees. In addition to price-transparency rules for TV service, the law prohibited TV and broadband providers from charging rental or lease fees when "the provider has not provided the equipment to the consumer or the consumer has returned the equipment to the provider."Īll the comments collected by Consumer Reports are available here. Such practices result in de facto situations where consumers feel pressured or forced to rent equipment that they would prefer to own instead," Consumer Reports told the FCC.Ĭonsumer Reports' filing came in response to the FCC asking for public comment on the implementation of the Television Viewer Protection Act (TVPA), which took effect in December 2020. Many more stories suggest that ISPs dissuade consumers from using their own equipment, typically by refusing to troubleshoot any service disruptions if consumers opt not to rent the ISP's devices. "Some contain allegations that the law is being violated, whereas others state the new statute is being respected. ![]() In a filing submitted to the FCC this week, Consumer Reports said it asked members about their Internet bills and got over 350 responses, with some suggesting violations of either the letter or spirit of the law. Getty Images | Jill Ferry Photography reader comments 196Ĭonsumer Reports wants the Federal Communications Commission to take a closer look at whether Internet service providers are complying with a US law that prohibits them from charging hardware rental fees when customers use their own equipment. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |