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New FiOS TV Fee?

When reviewing my account today at the MyVerizon page, I was presented with the following informational message:

Notice: A FiOS TV Broadcast Fee of $1.99 will be applied within 1-3 billing cycles.

Anyone else receive this notice? I am currently out of contract, perhaps it isn't being applied to folks under contract.

Comments

Sean3040-2

Just as Comcast and TWC, the cost of TV programming is rising

But at least Verizon is giving you notice

The average price for a channel like ESPN, I don't watvch it, but it's included in my package is $6.48

The regional sports fee is used for sports channels, and the broadcast TV fee is used for all channels.

Verizon will slowly roll this fee out. You may contact the franchise authority in your city. You can also threaten to disconnect and they (retentions) option 4 over the phone may offer you $5 off for the next 12-24 months.

gs0b

I am well aware of the various fees and reasons providers use to explain them.

The "TV Broadcast Fee" is new to me and I'm wondering who else is seeing it added. In particular, is everyone getting it or just those of us who are out of contract?

Thanks.

tns2

Like the others such as Time Warner, Charter, and Comcast, now Verizon is going charge a fee to cover the amount they have to pay for Local Broadcast channels. The direct result of some channels such as FOX channels run by Cox demanding higher fees.

Qwater

I'm under contract and see the same message when I signin. What other bogus charges are they going to come up with? Doesn't this stuff cost enough already?

bobbo527

@QWATER wrote:
I'm under contract and see the same message when I signin. What other bogus charges are they going to come up with? Doesn't this stuff cost enough already?

Ask the content providers, ESPN, VIACOM, and now FOX, NBC, local channels, etc. that question. Local broadcast channels now want their share (i.e. $$$$$$$$$$$) and the other providers are constantly rasing their subsciber fees which in turn get passed on to us, the viewer. Until something is done about those you are going to continue to get this ridiculous charges. Scream at Verizon all want, but you really should be screaming at the content providers, it starts with them.

What if Verizon didn't charge that and instead dropped your local FOX or CBS channel, what would your reaction be? They aren't bogus charges.

I honestly agree with you that this stuff costs way too much!! But you're ignoring the main reason why, it is not soley Verizon doing. Until the $$$ the provders charge are placed in check Verizon has no choice but to tack on these kinds of charges. You want a PERFECT example of this, why do you think they dropped the Weather Channel? It's because the Weather Channel wants MORE $$$$ per subscriber. If Verizon agrees to that, who ends up paying!?!?!?!?! Not Verizon, WE DO!!! But everyone will scream and yell it is Verizons fault. So say they give in, accept the HIGHER PER SUBSCIBER charges and add back the channel, then they add a "fee" like this one to pay for it. Suddenly you all start sceraming Verizon is ripping us off, they are charging too much!!!

SinCara

I haven't seen anything about the fee in my area yet, but I know it's coming since every provider seems to be adding it. I know my local competitor Bright House is already charging it so it's just a matter of time before Fios charges it here.

duquguy

Verizon has continued to increase the dividend that it pays out to it's owners. While some on this message board want you to believe it's just the networks doing, I'm here to tell you that the shareholder of Verizon are padding their pockets.

Don't believe me? Look at the company's dividend distribution history below. That money has to come from somewhere - YOU.

http://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/vz/dividend-history

CRobGauth

You realize that FIOS is roughly 1/10 of Verizon revenues?

The bulk of their income is from Wireless.

tns2

Padding? Verizon is not paying that big a dividend. See p/e for some other stocks.

tvtony75

Yes. They get an extra $24/year x millions of customers.

I have a contract and ithe feet is now added to the current bill.

These are all hidden fees that cable companies are applying. Equiment increases are another.

Try to replace a Verizon Remote - now cost around $15.

KGNJ

Agreed. As of this month FIOS has increased the equipment price AGAIN! You sign a 2 yr contract which only locks in your bundle price but then they continuously increase their equipment and fees month after month to make up for that. Also if you call Customer Service to ask them why or how these Rates or Fees are calculated they don't know..... A % of something.....

johnredmond

I have the bundle. I got the notice in March and then the fee on the May bill. However, my fee is $3.12, not the $1.99 in the notice on the back of the March bill. So tomorrow the first call is to Verizon. I've been down this road before over the FDV Admin Charge and the Regional Sports Network fee which has now balloned to $10.24 from $2.42 last month when I was month to month deciding whether to renew. To make matters more confusing the March bill also announced a new Regional Sports Network fee of $3.48 which I had been getting billed for (but for $2.42 a month) since January. This whole category of Charges & Credits on the bill is ripe for abuse by Verizon and other vendors that fraudulently billed customers through Verizon. I've talked to the California Public Utilities staff about Verizon fees and they say they have no authority over internet fees. So I emailed a complaint to the FCC which simply passed on my complaint to Verizon who called me up to explain that the contract allows them to add fees for new or unforeseen costs. I told them I think they are abusing the intent when the fees are created to cover activities they were already performing before they created them. It amounts to an end run around the guaranteed price. I intend to write my Congressman and suggest that he introduce a bill to give the FCC regulatory authority over these fees because they are getting out of hand and are totally arbitrary.

CRobGauth

Agreed. And from limited hearing about other providers, they are doing the same.

If you think about it, they are not alone.

Look at all of the enw and varied fees that airlines charge.

As long as businesses are paying for Congressmen to get elected, we are all screwed.

ZandorRI

In response to your TWC comment below.....

I honestly agree with you that this stuff costs way too much!! But you're ignoring the main reason why, it is not soley Verizon doing. Until the $$$ the provders charge are placed in check Verizon has no choice but to tack on these kinds of charges. You want a PERFECT example of this, why do you think they dropped the Weather Channel? It's because the Weather Channel wants MORE $$$$ per subscriber. If Verizon agrees to that, who ends up paying!?!?!?!?! Not Verizon, WE DO!!! But everyone will scream and yell it is Verizons fault. So say they give in, accept the HIGHER PER SUBSCIBER charges and add back the channel, then they add a "fee" like this one to pay for it. Suddenly you all start sceraming Verizon is ripping us off, they are charging too much!!!

TWC actually lowered the subscriber price for Verizon and Verizon walked away while still in negotiations. A search of the net will give you more information.

It's just a way for them to get around fixed bundled prices and showing more for their bottom line & more $$$$ in their pockets. Does not matter if it's FIOS or Wireless, it's the same company with different divisions.

If Verizon wants to keep their customers they need to rethink their customer practices. Because to them we are only account numbers and dollar signs, and as such are treated just like that. They need to be more customer orientated and concerned about what their customers think. If they don't they will continue to loose more customers and the $$$$ loss will be transferred to the current customers by way of more fees. Someone has to pay the piper and keep the bottom line.

CRobGauth

Something to keep in mind.

People foucs just on the per subscriber costs.

There are also fixed costs that are there regardless of the number of customers.
These include costs to connect to deliver content, franchise fees, etc.

These can be pretty high (maybe $1M or more).

Given the low reported viewership in general of TWC (ratings are maybe a few hundred thousand nation wide), costs per actual viewer ends up being pretty high.

Yes we would all like to pay only for the channels we watch. But I don't think everyone knows on what the real cost to get access to a channel.

And yes some channels (like HBO) are starting to offer direct purchasing vs via cable provider.

But I believe that cost is more than you pay via Verizon.

Yes if you can drop TV completely and only subscribe to a few services, you can save money.

But it everyone were to drop cable TV and try to purchase from servcies like Netflix, Hulu, etc, those costs will have to go up. Content providers want the same level of income to keep providing their content.

That cost per channel is kept low because the cost is spread across a large number of subscribers.

If only the people that watch content want to pay for it, your costs will go way up as their income drops.

[Deleted User]

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