FCC
The FCC handed new guidelines that may require cable and satellite tv for pc suppliers to obviously disclose the “all in” value of subscriptions in promotional supplies.
“The marketed value for a service ought to be the value you pay when your invoice arrives,” FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel stated. “It shouldn’t embody a bunch of surprising junk charges which are separate from the top-line value you had been instructed once you signed up.”
Rosenworcel cited charges like “broadcast subscription” and “regional sports activities assessments.” “It isn’t simply annoying,” she stated. “It makes it laborious for customers to check service in a market that’s evolving and has so many new methods to look at.”
The brand new guidelines handed 3-2. Commissioners Brendan Carr and Nathan Simington voted in opposition to it.
Rosenworcel has additionally proposed different measures geared toward “junk charges,” whereas the White Home has targeted on the elimination or limitation of issues like surcharges and late charges in areas like live performance ticketing, airline reservations and banking.
The FCC chair additionally has proposed eliminating early termination charges charged by cable and satellite tv for pc suppliers, in addition to necessities to supply customers prorated credit or rebates after the cancellation of service.
NCTA-The Web & Tv Affiliation, which represents main cable suppliers, known as the FCC’s motion “misguided.”
“The FCC’s micromanagement of promoting in at the moment’s hyper-competitive market will power operators to both muddle their adverts with complicated disclosures or go away pricing data out totally. For customers, it’s a lose-lose proposition,” the commerce affiliation stated in a press release.