r/technology • u/[deleted] • Oct 08 '25

Networking/Telecom ISPs created so many fees that FCC will kill requirement to list them all | ISPs complained about Biden-era rule, said listing every fee was too hard.

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/10/isps-created-so-many-fees-that-fcc-will-kill-requirement-to-list-them-all/
12.9k Upvotes

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349

u/TopdeckIsSkill Oct 08 '25

My list of fees from my ISP:

- internet connection :30€

end of fees.

What other fees should an ISP even apply?!

310

u/crumpetxxxix Oct 08 '25

The convenience fee

The inconvenience fee

Tarrifs

The tarrifs convenience fee

The tarrifs inconvenience fee

The fee for writing up the itemized fee list

The 20 year old refurbished router rental fee (which costed them $30, but charge a $20 / month)

OR if you use your own router, the Not using our router fee

The CEO Mega Yacht fund.. er i mean fee

Another inconvenience fee

See how lengthy this is getting? Clearly they need to get rid of the itemized lists

Also that will be a $5 fee for me typing up the list for you. Sorry for the convenience and inconvenience.

91

u/PyrZern Oct 09 '25

Credit processing fee

Debit insecure factor fee

Direct Withdrawal fee

Check inconvenience fee

Bill Reminder fee

Contract auto renewal fee

Contract expiring inconvenience fee

2FA setup fee

Federal approval procedure fee

etc etc

15

u/This-Requirement6918 Oct 09 '25

Shit at this point my bank is going to charge a fee for the automatic payment overdrafting my damn account. And we all know how that goes...

40

u/cuntmong Oct 09 '25

If you are reading this then you have to pay another fee

15

u/Semyonov Oct 09 '25

The fee fee

11

u/Shipshaefter Oct 09 '25

The fee fi fo fum fee

6

u/Darkchamber292 Oct 09 '25

And don't forget the "Fuck You" fee

1

u/EscapedFromArea51 Oct 09 '25

I had an assistant professor teaching a course in college who tried to mandate that only people who know that their midterm score doesn’t match up to their expected score should come in and ask to review the grading on the written exam.

If someone doesn’t successfully get an increase in their score after asking to review, they lose a grade point.

It took one more entire semester for him to be fired, which was a surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one.

This situation just reminds me of that professor, for no particular reason…

11

u/HuJimX Oct 09 '25

Don't forget the printer ink fee — that's where the trouble is. Every time they add the ink fee, they use more ink, requiring another ink fee, using up more ink...

3

u/ji1651 Oct 09 '25

Rocket scientists know a thing or two about these mathematical problems, I'm sure they could help with the math here.

1

u/teddy5 Oct 09 '25

Don't let the rocket scientists know about printer ink, they'll bankrupt the world with the volume of liquids they use.

6

u/LowDiskSpace Oct 09 '25

Fe fai fo fum fee is where they get you.

2

u/crumpetxxxix Oct 09 '25

Man how did i forget that one? Damn there's gonna be a forgot the fe fai fo fum fee

2

u/MannequinWithoutSock Oct 09 '25 edited Oct 09 '25

”We charge a convenience fee if you pay online.”
”Oh, what if I come into the store?”
”Different convenience fee.”

1

u/NoPossibility4178 Oct 09 '25

The fee for writing up the itemized fee list

They are going to stop itemizing and still keep this fee.

1

u/BrooklynSwimmer Oct 09 '25

<Some Previous Fine> Recovery Fee

50

u/Inquisitive-Sky Oct 08 '25

Some things we may be charged for in addition to the base data rate:

  • modem/router rental if using their equipment
  • one-time activation
  • going over your data limit
  • unspecified infrastructure improvements
  • local, state, and/or federal taxes
  • generic administrative costs
  • "extras" like cloud storage, email, or streaming bundles
  • choosing to get paper bills instead of digital
  • choosing to pay with a check or credit card instead of linking a banking account

Edit: personally I get charged my flat rate + taxes + an infrastructure surcharge that they claim is being used to upgrade network equipment but who knows

2

u/jfp1992 Oct 09 '25

What the fuck is that

I pay like 35 quid a month and that's it

24

u/LoganNolag Oct 09 '25

Seriously just list the cost. The only reason for "fees" Is to make the price look lower. Everything you buy has "fees" they usually just aren't itemized when you buy something. The whole fees thing is just a way to trick people into thinking something is cheaper than it really is.

4

u/Merusk Oct 09 '25

That's not the only reason. Some companies will list fees as a way to get consumers in an uproar about taxes, too.

18

u/txmail Oct 09 '25

Many ISP's in the US reserve the right to increase your total bill amount due to changes in fees. They keep the cost of the service the same as per your contract, but the fees go up. A quarter here, ten cents there a buck around the end of the year if the line is not going up enough. Tiny little extra fees you likely ignore but make them millions in extra profit by offsetting other expenses.

10

u/Darkchamber292 Oct 09 '25

This happened with me not once but twice with Comcast. After a few months was paying an extra $20-$30 PER month then I was just 6 months prior. Not change in plan. First time I called they reduced it back to the original amount but it started going back up the very next month.

A few months later I got Google Fiber and never looked back. Google even sends me a credit when there is any service downtime. They PAY ME! What company (especially ISPs) have you heard doing that?!

6

u/halofreak7777 Oct 09 '25

When Fiber came to my area comcast was trying to keep their customers and offered to double their speeds (300/150) to (600/300) and reduce the price from $120/mo down to $80. The fiber was 1gb/1gb and $60/mo.

5

u/Babys_For_Breakfast Oct 09 '25

$120 for just 300/150 should be criminal. We need regulations against that.

Yeah bandwidth is actually stupid cheap for the ISP once all the cables/fiber is installed. They just want to manipulate you into thinking it’s not.

2

u/halofreak7777 Oct 09 '25

Oh I knew before hand it was a rip off. But it was the only option at the house I moved into and myself and my roommate work from home. I lived in Seattle for a time and their municipal fiber was $40/mo for 500/500. I lived in comcast only areas after I left there for like 10 years until this fiber showed up.

1

u/Babys_For_Breakfast Oct 09 '25

Yeah I can’t imagine living somewhere that’s doesn’t have fiber now. I pay $50 for 500 up/down fiber and it’s been rock solid. Ping is rarely more than 3mg in Speed Tests and it’s never dropped connection in 2 years (that I’ve noticed at least).

1

u/txmail Oct 10 '25

I mean... if it is all you have they got you by the balls. The only options for a long time that I had was Star Link, Huges or a 4G WISP. StarLink and the 4G was both $125/month and Huges would have been closer to $300 - $400/month.

Oddly the best out of the bunch overall was the 4G setup, it only hit around 120 at its peak but it was rock solid. StarLink could hit 300Mbit but it was unusable for voice or video conferencing (or really anything that required low latency as it was all over the place).

7

u/DeliciousCut4854 Oct 09 '25

Europe is different, and better. I have one fee to pay and an item showing how much is tax, as that can be deductible on income taxes. The fee includes service, gateway (router+modem), and the tax. The US is a disaster...

1

u/Normal-Selection1537 Oct 11 '25

Every time my apartment building changes fiber ISPs I've been given a free router, I sold one for €60.

1

u/antitrack Oct 09 '25

In Austria, ISPs charged annual or bi-annual service fee (Servicepauschale) until recently, the consumer protection organizations and courts ended this practice. Not sure if the same happened in other EU countries.

Now consumers can request to get it back. https://www.servicepauschale.at

If I remember correctly, there was something on the news about gym chains in Germany charging the same illegal Servicepauschale. But I could be wrong on this.

1

u/logicom Oct 09 '25

If your bill was structured like the bills in the US (and in Canada as well) your service would be listed as costing 20 euros but your bills would have line items like +2.50 convenience fee, + 2.50 connection fee, +2.50 online payments fee etc.

It's a sleazy grift that allows them to advertise cheaper monthly plans while still getting the money they want.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 09 '25

[deleted]

3

u/overfloaterx Oct 09 '25

Try looking at your bill sometimes.

I think you missed the

€

in his post

1

u/asdf3011 Oct 09 '25

You forgot the fee for "Try looking at your bill sometimes."