Frontier Adds Bogus $2 'Internet Infrastructure Surcharge' Users in our Frontier forum notes that the company is attempting to nickel and dime users with a new $2 per month "Internet Infrastructure Surcharge." Like other fees of this type (CenturyLink's "Internet Cost Recovery Fee,") the fee isn't government mandated, nor is it tied directly to the cost of doing business. It's entire function is to let Frontier advertise one rate, then charge customers something else entirely. As with other ISPs, this fee is then increased steadily while the ISP brags its advertised prices have remained the same.

It's an obnoxious practice that US regulators (with the occasional exception ) have turned a blind eye to for decades. "Beginning with this bill, customers not on an Internet Service term agreement, price protection plan or subject to other exclusions will be assessed a $1.99 per month Internet Infrastructure surcharge," a Frontier notice to customers states. "The Internet Infrastructure surcharge is not a tax or governmental charge," it adds. "The Internet Infrastructure surcharge will apply to customers on a price protection plan on their renewal date." Customers that contact Frontier support to complain about the bogus surcharge get the same sort of runaround we've seen from other major ISPs: quote: • Shiela12:24 PM: The Internet Infrastructure Surcharge is not a government tax or government surcharge. This fee is to defray some of the costs of maintenance of the local network. • User 12:26: So it just a way for you to increase my rates without going thru the local cable commission. • Shiela12:28 PM: This is an infrastructure charge for maintenance. • User 12:30: Then why not just raise rates....... Of course the answer is because this process of covertly jacking up the cost of service via below the line fees lets Frontier engage in false advertising, something Frontier employees certainly aren't going to want to acknowledge. And with ISP transparency requirements set to die alongside the Of course the answer is because this process of covertly jacking up the cost of service via below the line fees lets Frontier engage in false advertising, something Frontier employees certainly aren't going to want to acknowledge. And with ISP transparency requirements set to die alongside the repeal of net neutrality rules this week , this is a problem you can expect to get notably worse as ISPs get more "creative" -- especially in less competitive broadband markets.







News Jump WISPs Get CBRS Range As Great As Six Miles At 100 Mbps Speeds; Windstream Officially Exits Bankruptcy; + more news Charter Relaunches Free 60-day Internet And Wi-Fi Offer; NCTA: FCC Should Stick With 25/3 Speed Threshold; + more news Comcast Shuts Off Internet for Subs Who Were Sold Service Illegally; AT&T, Verizon Team To Stop T-Mobile 5G; + more news California Defends Its Net Neutrality Law; AT&T's Traffic Up 20% Despite Data Traffic Actually Being Down; + more news Are The Comcast-Charter X1 Talks Dead In The Water?; AT&T May Offer Phone Plans With Ads For Discounts; + more news Europe's Top Court: Net Neutrality Rules Bar Zero Rating; ViacomCBS To Rebrand CBS All Access As Paramount+; + more news Verizon To Buy Reseller TracFone For $7B; 5G Not The Competitive Threat To Cable Many Thought It Would Be; + more news MS.Wants Records From AT&T On $300M Project; Google Fiber Outages In Austin, Houston, Other Texan Cities; + more news States With The Biggest Decreases In Speed; AT&T Hopes You'll Forget Its Fight Against Accurate Maps; + more news AT&T's CEO Has A Familiar $olution To US Broadband Woes; EarthLink Files Suit Against Charter; + more news ---------------------- this week last week most discussed

Most recommended from 58 comments



seaquake

MVM

join:2001-03-23

Millersville, MD ·Verizon FiOS

33 recommendations seaquake MVM Coming soon.... Introducing 100Mbps Internet for only $19.95*



*taxes, fees and surcharges extra.



So what's the actual cost per month? $87.63.



How great it would be if we had a government organization who was looking out for the consumer and kept this crap from escalating. Kearnstd

Space Elf

Premium Member

join:2002-01-22

Mullica Hill, NJ 20 recommendations Kearnstd Premium Member Why not raise rates? It’s not like they have competition other than maybe cable who plays the same games.



If costs for a supermarket go up they raise prices. They do not add



“Electric Rates Recovery Fee” at the register.

SteveV

join:2016-08-21

Williamsburg, VA 14 recommendations SteveV Member What's next: "Health insurance recovery charge"... ...or "Property Tax Recovery Fee? No, wait; that last one's already taken by Verizon. Remember when these were costs associated with doing business and paid by the company and not the customer? How could we have let this happen...

jsolo1

Premium Member

join:2001-07-01 11 recommendations jsolo1 Premium Member RCN adds this fee as well RCN is adding this fee too, starting with the January 2018 bill. Note the third paragraph.

hamburglar

join:2002-04-29

united state 5 recommendations hamburglar Member lol Frontier is a joke. dsl2fios

join:2005-07-26

Santa Monica, CA 4 recommendations dsl2fios Member what a surprise Awful incompetent company with a failed business model from the start. They are losing the price war with cable and this is their answer?! unreal. Ostracus

join:2011-09-05

Henderson, KY 4 recommendations Ostracus Member Grass, with real roots. In the absence of NN, wonder if the local cable commissions will be forced to pick up the slack? They're certainly not going to be getting the silence.

cralt

join:2011-01-07

CT 4 recommendations cralt Member must be a fios thing

I am happy with the service but their billing and CS system is a fucking nightmare. I haven't seen this fee yet but I am dsl. My rate is 19.99 and that's all my total bill has always been...No tax or anything...except when their system randomly drops me out of my 3 year promo and I have to waste time on the chat to get it fixed. I am in the middle of that now. Last bill was 24.99 that they fixed. Just got my bill for this month and the rate is 14.99. Hopefully that mistake continuesI am happy with the service but their billing and CS system is a fucking nightmare. F34R

join:2007-10-29

Barnwell, SC 3 recommendations F34R Member ABB as well. Atlantic Broadband has started doing this in South Carolina as well. p90503

join:2010-11-12 3 recommendations p90503 Member F*** ho lee f....rontier ! tdumaine

Premium Member

join:2004-03-14

Seattle, WA 2 recommendations tdumaine Premium Member Its a bankruptcy thing But it wont get them out of the red