On Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 5035, known as the Television Viewer Protection Act, in a voice vote after less than three minutes of discussion. The legislation’s primary purpose was to permanently require television broadcasters and pay-TV providers, including cable and satellite companies, to engage in good-faith negotiations over retransmission rights for broadcast channels such as NBC and CBS.
Consumer Reports has targeted the pay-TV industry for more than a year in hopes of forcing cable and satellite companies like Comcast CMCSA, +2.23%, Charter Communications CHTR, +0.80% and The Dish Network DISH, +1.00% to be more transparent about their pricing. The consumer watchdog group released a report in October that found the cable industry on average makes $450 per customer per year from company-imposed fees, which equates to a 24% surcharge on the advertised price.
“Today it’s difficult for the customer to make an intelligent decision since every competitor charges different fees that sometimes are or are not advertised,” said Jeff Kagan, a telecommunications consultant. “While I don’t think all competitors are going to like this idea, I think others will and the consumer will.”
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lol, government regulations took care of the sleazy car sales business, now it's cable TVs turn
Who even has cable anymore?