Broadcast TV Surcharge
The Broadcast TV Surcharge is related to the fees local broadcast stations charge Home Telecom to transmit their free, over-the-air content.
The Cable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act of 1992 is a federal law that allows local U.S. broadcast TV stations (network affiliates like CBS, NBC, ABC, and Fox) to negotiate with cable and satellite providers like Home Telecom for permission to carry their broadcast signals. Over the last several years, these stations have drastically increased rates to distribute their signals to Home Telecom customers. As a result, these charges are flagged as a "Broadcast TV Surcharge" to give you a better understanding of how money collected from your bill is used.
Negotiating with local broadcasters is a pain point for TV providers nationwide. Oftentimes, we are faced with only 2 options: paying outrageous rates or dropping channels from your lineup. To learn more about the increasing cost to provide broadcast channels, please click here.
We are on your side and agree that changes to this law need to be made. However, until that happens, we understand if video is too costly and you are looking for a change. We’ve partnered with MyBundleTV in order to help make this transition easier for you. Learn more about the best streaming option that would suit your household needs by taking this quiz.