FCC to vote in March on rules for 'all-in' cable and satellite pricing

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: CNBC

Published Wed, Feb 21 2024 12:17 PM EST Updated Wed, Feb 21 2024 1:43 PM EST


WASHINGTON — A federal consumer protection watchdog agency on Wednesday announced that it will be voting on rules that will require cable and satellite providers to display an “all-in” price for video programming on consumers’ bills and promotional materials.

The Federal Communications Commission’s final rules are expected to be largely similar to those the agency initially proposed last year. The commission plans to vote on a final version of the rules during its upcoming March 14 open meeting.

“We’re working to make it so the advertised price for a service is the price you pay when your bill arrives,” FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement. “Not only will this reduce cost confusion and make it easier for consumers to compare services, but this proposal will also increase competition among cable and broadcast satellite providers through improved price transparency,” said Rosenworcel.

The commission voted in December to adopt a proposal to ban cable and satellite companies from charging early termination fees. The agency is also gearing up to enforce a new labeling format for broadband internet service providers, starting in April.

Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2024/02/21/fcc-to-vote-in-march-on-rules-for-all-in-cable-and-satellite-pricing.html

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Link to FCC NEWS RELEASE - FCC to Vote on Pricing Transparency for Cable & Satellite Viewers

[rurallib]

1. Let's hope they can do something

The whole TV/cable/streaming is such a mess I don't know how they can straighten it out.

[HandmaidsTaleUntold]

2. Comcast Is The Worst

They have lied to me so many times. Cheated on my bill. Send you to some operator in India that makes promises just to waste your time. Cancel.

[AllaN01Bear]

4. they priced me out years agp

[Oopsie Daisy]

5. Fios isn't much better, if at all. Their hidden and surprise-fees are why we "cut the cord" *

* and opted for streaming and OTA only.

[OldBaldy1701E]

6. We did that in 2014.

I realized that we were paying two different sources for what was basically the same content. So, we dropped cable and went with only internet and OTA. I have never regretted it for a moment. I have found nothing on the cable stations that cannot be found online.

[Oopsie Daisy]

7. Exactly! We still pay subscription fees... but it's ONLY for the things we want!

And as our interests weave and meander, we can easily drop certain offerings (during off-season programming) and return to them later. In the end, we're paying less than half to watch what we want, rather than paying DOUBLE to receive crap that we don't want and never watched.

The "local sports fees" and "local channel fees" were what really lit the fire to motivate us to abandon cable.

[cstanleytech]

3. Next should be the varies wireless carriers as early termination fees should not be allowed as customers should

have the freedom to switch carriers if the service is bad without the risk of punishment.

[sybylla]

8. They are a dying medium.

I dropped my last satellite dish company about 8 years ago when we were paying for 250 channels and watched 3 of them, if that.

After dropping them, we found we can watch all the things we usually watched (albeit a few hours later) on other media - YouTube, Prime, NetFlix, etc. We are about the point that if NetFlix screws us over enough we'll be dropping them, too.

[SouthernDem4ever]

9. Get a Roku player or similar device and stream lots for free

As long as you have a decent internet connection. Sure some of it is older programming but there is so much to choose from you won't be bored. Also, you can use youtube and see all the stuff they have there, as long as you don't mind commercials but you get commercials on all the regular cable channels anyway so what's the difference?