Charter Expands 'Local Broadcast TV Surcharge' If you're in a recently-acquired Charter market and haven't been charged the company's misleading "local broadcast TV surcharge," you will soon. Charter has confirmed to MassLive notes that the fee, which can be upwards of $5 to $10 per month, will soon arrive on Charter bills for many more customers. Such fees, which are now common in the sector, allows cable companies to break out a portion of their programming costs and burying them below the line, allowing companies to falsely advertise a lower price.

"We've begun breaking out the broadcast TV surcharge as a specific line on customer statements, as we do in other Charter systems, to reflect the cost of local broadcast TV stations," Charter says. Companies like Comcast have tried to argue this is just their way of being "transparent" with consumers. But in reality this is just one of a growing number of fees that inflate consumer bills post-sale. The tactic has been repeatedly criticized as false advertising, and Charter was actually just sued for such practices late last year. “The reality is that Charter invented these Surcharges in order to deceive its customers by advertising and promising a lower price while actually charging a higher price," stated the lawsuit. It proceeded to argue that the $5 to $10 per month (and consistently rising) Broadcast TV fee "is a basic cost of doing business," that should be included in the advertised price. Most of the Bright House Networks and Time Warner Cable markets Charter acquired already charged similar fees; Charter's just finishing up expanding the unnecessary and misleading surcharge uniformly across its territory. Most of the Bright House Networks and Time Warner Cable markets Charter acquired already charged similar fees; Charter's just finishing up expanding the unnecessary and misleading surcharge uniformly across its territory.







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Most recommended from 84 comments

CyberGuy

join:2006-08-21

Colbert, WA 14 recommendations CyberGuy Member Stopped paying to watch TV commercials in 2011 NEVER looking back!

SpottedCat

join:2004-06-27

Miami, FL 8 recommendations SpottedCat Member Cut the cord, people It's time to show these idiots that we will not put up with being fleeced anymore. Cut the cord, put up an antenna to receive local channels for free, and use Netflix/HBO/Hulu/etc. for your TV watching needs.



The greed needs to stop, and the only way it will is us not handing them our money. Terabit

join:2008-12-19 7 recommendations Terabit Member This Is Ridiculous Why do we have to pay this? Why am I not able to opt out of this? Where are all the let the market decide types when it comes to this crap?



Absolutely ridiculous that we have to pay that to watch commercials. pawpaw

join:2004-05-05

Asheville, NC ·Charter

3 recommendations pawpaw Member Is it optional? If so, ok. If not, it is bogus.



Of what charge is it a surcharge? I'm a Charter customer, but cut the cord six years ago, so I do not see this kind of nonsense. Could not be happier, except barebones internet is overpriced. 5G is coming to get you!

Anonefce8

@2602:100.x 2 recommendations Anonefce8 Anon Blame broadcasters Why should Charter have to pay broadcasters anything? Don't they offer these signals in the air for free? Isn't the spectrum to broadcast these signals given to them for FREE unlike the mobile companies which pay BILLIONS for the same spectrum?