US Telco Support > Verizon > Verizon FIOS TV > Regional Sports Network fees coming for Midatlantic region..

Regional Sports Network fees coming for Midatlantic region..

Also mentioned here.
»Verizon Pulls Sports From New HD Channel Bundle

It sounds like the new RSN fee is across the FiOS footprint and not limited to the Mid-Atlantic region.

reply to bohratom
$2.61 in other areas, Being phased in this month and next month..

reply to bohratom
But if you are on contract, no new charges.

reply to bohratom
Verizon really needs to stop this nickel and dime crap, if they are going to pull this shit then they need to just put the sports in there own package and let the people who want to pay for it do so and leave those of us who never watch these channels out of it.

I agree, it's bad enough we have to pay extra for the sports channels that we don't watch, but now tacking on this fee for everyone that has them in their package? They make it seem like they are just adding it to the people that get the channels, but that is everyone except for their new package. All the sports channels need to be separated if they are going to cause the customers and the providers this much grief. The new charge is being added to the bill anyway, so why separate it like it's an extra just for me? They might as well just up the regular fee. It makes it look like I wanted these channels. Are they going to start charging an extra fee for the broadcast channels too since that's another ongoing battle? How many separate fees are there going to be?

reply to bohratom
The problem with these sports channels is the networks themselves require the cable operators to include them on "basic" tiers. That way they get compensated for the highest number of customers. So Verizon can't just add these networks to a premium tier.

That may be true of a channel like ESPN (I would dump all the Disney shit too just to get rid of ESPN), however this fee is for the Regional Sports Networks and most if not all of those channels are negotiated separately from other channels and could certainly be put in a separate package for those who want them.

reply to bohratom
If they want to start charging for regional sports then they need to make sure they have the available sports channels carried. For example, here in VHO5, we are still waiting for MSG2+HD to be carried which was promised to us last year.

But as we all know too well, VZ is very good at finding things to charge for and with HD extremely slow to deliver. If they charge, they have an obligation now to deliver.

MSG+2 isn't carried in HD yet.

All four MSG feeds are available to Verizon and AFAIK, all other providers. That Verizon doesn't carry all four yet is on them.

reply to bohratom
Yeah something smells fishy

reply to bohratom
The cable sports model is turning into a massive scam. It is only a matter of time before greed makes that house of cards collapse in on itself. I am speaking as a sports fan. It is crazy that the public is accepting of paying in the neighborhood of $300 a year for sports channels that a majority does not watch, and these fees are going up fast.

This is an interesting article that lays out some of the laws and framework that governs which tiers these channels are carried in. In some cases they are forced by law to carry them in basic tiers, whether they want to or not.

»www.law.indiana.edu/fclj/pubs/v6···INAL.pdf

All in all, I like this move by Verizon. Bringing visibility to the RSN fees might be the thing that causes enough backlash to get things changed. I'd like to see them break out all the sports channels fees into the bills.

As an aside, it would be nice if the providers provided the rebate they receive from RSNs to the customers from lockouts, since we are the ones not able to see the games that were missed.
»www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Jour···out.aspx

If it's a separate line item then it should be one that is removable. My wife will ask why I am paying extra for these channels like I subscribed to them.

reply to zippoboy7

Yep, I believe this is pretty common. I believe they are all taking the stance of either basic package or not at all, or they withhold other channels, or they are federally mandating Verizon to carry them.

This fee is a step in the right direction though, and is fully intended to call out the RSNs for their tactics, and to call out attention to the system as a whole.

reply to matcarl
I meant on FiOS....