December 19th, 2020
Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/picture alliance via Getty Images
Has your internet provider ever charged rental fees for a modem even after you bought one? You won’t have that pushback any longer. As
Ars Technicanotes, the Television Viewer Protection Act taking effect December 20th will ban ISPs and TV providers from charging rental fees for equipment customers own themselves, whether they’re modems or cable boxes. The law was originally slated to take effect on June 20th, but Congress let the FCC delay the measure under claims the pandemic made the original timing impractical.
Many companies had already implemented policies, but this will force some vendors to change their behavior. Frontier Communications in particular had insisted on charging rental fees for modems under claims it was covering higher support costs for bring-your-own hardware customers despite acknowledging that it couldn’t support that equipment.
TV and Broadband Providers Must Stop Charging Bogus Rental Fees
December 18, 2020
A law prohibiting TV and broadband providers from charging a rental fee for equipment the customer owns is going into effect Sunday.
TV and broadband providers are among the most hated industries in America. Both industries are notorious for offering “introductory pricing,” only to increase the price significantly once the period is over. The industries are also known for “hidden fees” and charging rental fees for equipment the customer owns.
A new law is set to prohibit the latter issues starting Sunday, following a six-month extension provided by the FCC as a result of the pandemic. As part of the Television Viewer Protection Act, providers will be prohibited from charging rental fees for equipment the customer provides. The providers must also make a good-faith effort to explain fees and be transparent about the costs of service.