VERIZON & COMCAST REGIONAL SPORTS NETWORK FEE $7.89

 

I had an overcharge on my VERIZON bill and noticed that there was a charge $7.89 for REGIONAL SPORTS NETWORK FEE. 

While I was resolving the overcharge, I asked about the $7.89 and was told that it was mandated by the state. 

None of the channels included in that charge are available. 

FROM THE LEGISLATIVE AIDE TO MY STATE REP:

The representative sent me your email in regards to a Regional Sports Network fees that you noticed on your Verizon bill and asked that I reach out to our liaison with the state’s Department of Telecommunications and Cable to see what they could tell us about it. I was able to hear back from my liaison, so I wanted to reach out and give you an update.

The representative you spoke with at Verizon was incorrect when he stated that the “Regional Sports Network” fee was the result of a state mandate. My liaison at the DTC informed me that the fee has existed for a while and was established by cable networks to recover fees from the growing costs of covering regional sports games. Since cable networks sell packages, not singular products, they are allowed to add these fees in when they establish a contract with their customer. If you did not notice the fees being added to your bill initially it may be because the fee was added to a package you were already purchasing through Verizon and they only notified customers when they were updating their terms of service.

 

 

Apparently the fees have been an issue that the DTC has been hearing about very frequently lately, as many customers are expecting a rebate for these fees since there is no regional sports being broadcasted due to the pandemic. Recently the attorney general’s office in New York was able to put pressure on Comcast to pay a rebate to its customers in the state for these services, since no one has been receiving regional sports. The efforts worked in that state and are likely to followed by attorney generals across other states soon. I am waiting to hear back and see if the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office has already begun discussions with networks like Comcast and Verizon. From the last I was able to find, Verizon said they are considering rebates for these sports fees, but have not made any official statement.

 

As I mentioned, the fees were implemented by cable networks and are not caused by any state or federal mandate. While the legal pressure from the attorney general’s office can help encourage these cable networks to repay fees for these packages, the decision to make this change ultimately falls on the behalf the cable networks.  I will give you an update if I hear anything more about the state’s legal efforts to cancel these fees. In the meantime, my liaison said you should look through your bills from months prior to see when that regional sports fee was added, as she seems to think it should have been there for a while. She did mention that Verizon should have given you a notice that this fee was being added to your package when it was first initiated, so it might be good to look through your records for that and call Verizon again if you did not receive anything.

 

I will keep you updated as I hear more about this issue through our liaisons. In the meantime if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to let me know. Thank you again for bringing this issue to our office’s attention. The Representative and I will do everything in our power to encourage the state to continue to put pressure on cable networks and get this resolved.

 

I would recommend complaining to VERIZON or COMCAST, your State Rep. and State Senator, as well as the DTC and Attorney General for being charged for programing that is not provided.