Regulators Need to Make Noise About Hidden Fees on Subscribers, CCG Says

Regulators have been "perplexing[ly]" silent on hidden fees in ISP bills "even though just about everything to do with these fees is deceptive," CCG Consulting President Doug Dawson blogged Wednesday. He said use of such unadvertised add-on fees lets ISPs disguise the true price of services and disguise rate increases while they also put price pressure on competitors. An example of such hidden fees is with Comcast and its broadcast TV, regional sports, set-top box and HD fees and charges, all of which together can add $25 a month to the advertised price of cable or broadband service, he said. Comcast says such fees are fully disclosed to consumers, but "one has to read some truly fine print on their web site" to understand they come atop the advertised pricing, he said. Comcast didn't comment.