Score one for sanity: A federal court judge recently denied Comcast’s request to throw out a lawsuit alleging that the cable company’s “Broadcast TV” and “Regional Sports” fees are just misleading ways to raise customers’ bills without having to increase the advertised price. [More]
regional sports fee
Communities Push For Investigation Into Comcast’s ‘Broadcast TV’ & ‘Regional Sports’ Fees
By 4.20.17
Comcast is already being sued over its “Broadcast TV” and “Regional Sports” surcharges, with customers alleging that the cable company uses these fees to illegally raise rates. Now, several local regulators are calling on their state attorney general to investigate Comcast over these dubious add-on charges. [More]
DirecTV Admits Errors In Regional Sports Fees; Will Issue Credits To Affected Customers
By 3.15.17
We recently pointed out that DirecTV is assessing its “Regional Sports Fee” — the surcharge for carrying local sports channels in a particular area — unevenly, meaning you could be paying as much as $87/year more than your friend around the corner for the exact same TV package. At the time, DirecTV could not offer a reasonable explanation for this disparity, but the company is now apologizing and saying it will credit the bills of affected customers. [More]
DirecTV’s Regional Sports Fees Make No Sense; You May Be Paying $87/Year More Than Your Neighbor
By 3.8.17
“Regional Sports Fees” — one of those add-on charges that cable and satellite companies tack on to raise the price of pay-TV plans without having to change the price they advertise — have rubbed a lot of people the wrong way in recent months. Comcast is being sued over this fee, and lawmakers have asked cable providers to explain these charges. As irritating as this surcharge may be, an analysis of how DirecTV assesses these fees raises questions about the motives of the nation’s largest satellite TV provider. [More]
