Is it legal to charge an extra fee for internet depending on the cable package?

Question

I have basic cable and high speed internet through the same provider. I am being charged an extra fee because I only have basic cable instead of digital cable. Is this legal?

Answer 1

Yes, it's legal. The short answer is, there's no law prohibiting such a practice. A couple company can legally give you a discount on your internet for subscribing to digital cable (or charge you more if you don't subscribe). While the bundling of certain products could in some cases be a violation of antitrust law, this wouldn't qualify. The company has an obvious incentive to provide the lower rate on the internet (it makes a bigger profit if you subscribe to digital cable). The company is not engaging in an anti-competitive practice.

Answer 2

Unfortunately, yes. They pretty much tell you the deal when you sign up. The internet access is a certain retail price. You sign up for a package deal to save some money by bundling services. It's up to them to decide how much you save by bundling. This is one way they try to get you to go for the extra features(like digital cable). The offer they give only gives that discount with digital cable and usually the phone service bundled in. You can eat the fee, and live with it or upgrade to digital cable and save money on internet but pay more overall.

Answer 3

Yes, it is legal. Is there another high speed internet service provider that you can use?

I have cable broadband, but I made very sure that I did not have to subscribe to any cable tv before I went with it.

Answer 4

Don't look at it as being charged an "extra fee". Look at it as receiving a discount for subscribing to a higher package :)
Optimism...

Answer 5

Same as McDonalds charging more for a coke if you dont buy the meal.