§562 Requirements Relating to Charges for Covered Services

Summary

Providers of the covered services must tell a consumer the full monthly price before the consumer signs a contract. That price must show any promotional discount and when it ends, and must include administrative, equipment, and other charges. The provider must also give a reasonable estimate of any taxes or government fees (whether charged to the provider or the consumer) and any fee used to recover government assessments. Within 24 hours after the contract is made, the provider must send the consumer a copy of that price information by email, an online link, or a similar method. From the time the provider sends that copy, the consumer has a 24-hour period to cancel without paying early termination or disconnection fees. If the provider sends electronic bills, the bill must break out the charge for the service itself from taxes and other fees, show the contract’s end date, and show when any promotional discount ends. A provider may not charge a consumer for using equipment the consumer already owns, for equipment the provider never gave the consumer, or for equipment after the consumer returned it, except for charges that cover the time between when the provider gave the equipment and when it was returned. Definitions: “broadband internet access service” — as defined in section 8.1(b) of title 47, Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor regulation; “covered equipment” — equipment on a customer’s premises used to deliver the service (for example, a router); “covered service” — service provided by a multichannel video programming distributor when it is acting as such.