Industry changing billing proposal by FCC is government overreach
Last month, the FCC released some details on a proposal that would radically change what people would see when they are signing up for any cable or internet company package.
The FCC wants to require companies to fully disclose or rather state one, final price to a consumer before they sign up for the package. Currently, companies can use the advertised price of a package, which doesn’t include taxes or fees.
This means that all cable and satellite companies must fully disclose “all fees, including broadcast retransmission consent, regional sports programming, and other programming-related fees” in a striking spot on the bill.
This is clearly government interference. Comcast wrote to the FCC and clearly laid out all of the problems and issues that arise out of telling a customer the final price or even putting the final price on a prominent spot in the bill. According to Comcast: “Two aspects of the (FCC’s) Order impose significant administrative burdens and unnecessary complexity in complying with the broadband label requirements.”
Want proof? As Comcast told the FCC in the filing, look at all the trade groups complaining about this proposal? They all must be complaining because the rule is bad! Not because their bills are 100% paid for by the telecom companies, including Comcast.
The FCC even has the nerve to expect telecom companies on bills to explain fees that are being passed on to the consumers and not a city/state/federal mandated fee. But Comcast came to play and slammed the FCC by stating that this proposed rule would now cause “much uncertainty over how ISPs must treat these fees”. Or just not charge them? Trouble fixed?
Anyway, Ars Technica reminded me that the FCC also wants to check on companies to make sure they are following through with these new rules. Excuse me? Comcast threw the FCC across the floor by stating that this record keeping would cause “substantial additional burdens” for the company, who last year made $121 billion dollars in total revenue.
We have murders, we have crime, and we are tackling this?
Now, do I open my monthly email bill and act like the above picture? Occasionally. But who said money is everything?