Telecoms and internet providers could charge you a flat payment for their services. Maybe there could be one extra fee for when you use more of their services than they had expected, but this straightforward approach has the advantage of being honest and easy to understand.
Instead, what many ISPs do is give you one number for the basic service and then start charging extra fees for things you’re required to use or services so basic that almost everyone uses them. As an example from a different industry, Bank of America once tried to charge $5 per month for debit card usage. The reason these companies do this is to make their rates appear low and competitive when they’re really as high or higher than the companies that still use flat fees.
Internet providers might not be able to charge for debit card use, but they do have other services they use to ask for extra money. The following list isn’t comprehensive, but it does include some of the more common charges.
Convenience Fee
You pay this fee when you decide to pay your bills online and use a debit or credit card for the added security of not connecting directly to your bank account or waiting for the mail to deliver a check. The internet providers might justify this with the processing fees credit card companies demand, but those fees are pennies on the dollar and nowhere close to the ISP’s fee.
Modem And Wireless Router Rentals
A modern modem is nothing like the screeching devices that connected computers to phone lines, but you still need a device to translate signals from your cable to your internet devices. Most internet providers install a modem when they hook you up to their network, and while they’ve often asked for a monthly rental fee for attaching a wireless router for mobile and remote devices, some now demand a monthly payment for the modem itself.
Internet Infrastructure Surcharge
A surcharge like this has no reason to be separate from the rest of your bill. When you pay for internet access, you’re paying for the wires, connections, servers, and everything else the ISP has to make that connection happen. That makes the “internet infrastructure surcharge” an extra fee for the exact same service.
It’s because of practices like this that JumpFiber guarantees no hidden fees or unnecessary surcharges. We give you one number for each speed we offer, and in fact, we offer discounts when enough customers in a building community switch to our services. So if you’re part of our service area in San Antonio, find out today what makes us cheaper and more convenient than the competition.