Andrew Heinzman
Is your ISP charging you a “rental” fee for the modem or router you bought with your own money? Such bogus fees are now outlawed as part of the Television Viewer Protection Act, which prevents broadband and TV providers from charging rental fees when customers use their own equipment.
As reported by Ars Technica, the Television Viewer Protection Act was passed in December 2019 and scheduled to take effect June 20th, 2020. But Internet providers managed to delay the law until December 20th, complaining that they needed more time to … stop scamming their customers? Anyway, the Television Viewer Protection Act is now in effect, preventing ISPs (particularly Frontier) from enforcing mandatory rental fees.
The new law also forces TV providers to inform customers of total monthly charges before entering a contract. The notice must include all fees, taxes, and promotional discounts, along with information on when promotional discounts will expire. The law also gives customers a full day to cancel their TV service without incurring any fees. (This part of the Television Viewer Protection Act only applies to TV service, not internet.)
Using your own router and modem can save you hundreds of dollars each year and improve your internet speeds. If you’re paying $10 a month to rent equipment from your ISP, then now’s the time to take the plunge and buy a router and modem. Just make sure to return your ISP’s equipment!
Source: Ars Technica
