Published September 2016
This Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission will vote on whether or not cable companies must finally unlock the box and stop charging consumers exorbitant equipment rental fees. Just how exorbitant are these fees?
Each month that the FCC decision is delayed, consumers pay $1.6 billion to rent their set-top boxes. That’s an additional $1.6 billion in profits for companies like Comcast and Verizon each month. That’s $20 billion each year. Keep in mind, consumers are paying an additional $1.6 billion each month to use services that they’re already directly paying for.
So how does this affect you? Let’s break down the effect that #UnlockTheBox would have on the average consumer.
Each year, the average consumer will spend an estimated $231 to rent their set-top boxes. Imagine if you could pocket that money next year – here’s what you could use it for instead…
What about some more fun things you could spend your money on?
It’s really simple. The longer it takes for the FCC to #UnlockTheBox, the more it costs consumers. As cable companies continue to profit, consumers are losing more and more money – money that would be much better spent in other ways.
The time is now to #UnlockTheBox.
You can check out our sources for this page here. Click here to contact Congress to tell them it’s time to #UnlockTheBox. Click here to see how much every second of the delay is costing you. Check out our latest #UnlockTheBox video below. https://www.youtube.com/embed/x8jLsEycNVw