قدمت عضوة الكونغرس آنا إيشو اليوم قانون "الرسوم الحقيقية". ينص مشروع القانون على تضمين رسوم "ما دون الخط" من مزودي خدمات الاتصالات في السعر المعلن. هذه الرسوم هي رسوم خفية تُضيفها الشركات إلى فواتير مستخدميها الشهرية، لكنها لا تُفصح عنها في أسعارها المعلنة. كما يحظر مشروع القانون اتفاقيات التحكيم القسري في حال إصدار فواتير غير صحيحة، ويشترط الشفافية في زيادات رسوم المعدات.

Statement of Michael Copps, FCC Commissioner and Common Cause Special Adviser 

Below-the-line fees have been a pernicious problem in the communications marketplace for years. These hidden fees are typically “administrative fees” or “service fees” companies have to pay as part of the cost of doing business but pass on to their customers only after advertising the service price. They’ve been able to get away with this due to lack of competition and harmful contractual clauses that prevent their customers from suing in court or seeking other appropriate recourse.

Congresswoman Eshoo’s bill would give consumers much-needed transparency in their bills and the tools they need to get justice for wrongful billing. At a time when broadband prices are at an all-time high and remain unaffordable for millions of Americans, we need to put an end to telephone and cable companies abusing their power through deceptive fees. We applaud Congresswoman Eshoo for introducing this bill and look forward to working with her on this issue.