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Stop paying $200 a year for your Internet cable modem

Posted on January 11th, 2021 at 00:30 Will Fastie Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

PUBLIC DEFENDER

Stop paying $200 a year for your Internet cable modem

By Brian Livingston

If there’s anything I hate, it’s paying $15 or $20 a month for something I don’t want or need.

Now our political system — such as it is — has done something about it. A law passed by Congress went into effect just a few days ago: December 20, 2020, to be exact. ISPs (Internet service providers) are now prohibited from charging you a monthly “equipment fee” for connection devices you bought and installed yourself.

ISPs know all about this law, which is called the Television Viewer Protection Act (TVPA). It was supposed to go into effect last year on June 20, but cable and telephone companies pressured the FCC to delay its protections for six months. But now, if you own your own hardware, one call to your ISP should get the charge removed — although it should already have disappeared from your bill.

Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.1.0 (2021-01-11).

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