Cablevision Charges Excessive Fee For Phone Number Transfers

said by battleop:

I'm not really that involved with this part of our VoIP business but I am pretty sure that there are rules in place to prevent the ILecs from charging such fees.

said by supergirl:

Can different carriers charge different amounts?

Yes, because different carriers have varying costs of operating due to numerous economic factors. Although the FCC does not regulate the amount of such charges, all such charges must be just and reasonable.
»www.fcc.gov/cgb/NumberPortability/

Sounds like to me Cablevision is committing fraud by violating the FCC Rules on LNP.

said by slomike2:

The cable industry has shown over and over again, that they will charge excessive fees when ever they are allowed to.

said by ITALIAN926:

Someone who goes by the name "fiberguy" should know that POTS lines are regulated and VoIP service is not.

said by herberthm1:

obviously you don't know what you are talking about, there is labor involve some one actually needs to seat behind a computer and do it, that is labor and that person needs to get paid,

said by Bobcat:

Yeah, it probably costs them 47 cents.

said by haynosity:

Cablevision is just ripping off thier customers.

said by waRdRivR :

They often get away with shit like this because it's a privately held company that provides cable but operates like telecom, when in fact it's not a telecom at all!

said by n2jtx:

I have wanted to switch to OV for quite some time now but the $40 fee irks me and having to pay for an additional fee for installation because it is a number port is annoying as well. Supposedly the installation is required to make sure you are disconnected from the POTS. Apparently that is not a problem if you decide to drop your existing number and get a new OV number. I have not figured that one out.

What is interesting is that by complaining the reporter was able to get the fee waived. I may try that and see what happens.

said by Bobcat:

No way I'd ever trust Cablevision to handle a 911 call.

said by houseboatcrab :

but the payback only takes a month

Cablevision:  $51.12
Verizon DSL:  $29.95
Verizon POTS: $18.34
--------------------
Total:        $99.41

said by houseboatcrab :

I just did the switch to the triple play. $40 to port, and about $15 for a service call. They insisted I could not install the equipment myself (right), nor would they waive the porting fee.

said by MisterBill:

OOL and OV for a combined $30/month for a year.

said by wildcat man:

because there is no port charge to Cablevision. Costs might be more than putting in a new number, but there has never been a port charge as it would be anti-competitive.

All parties should disclose all fees, however, in their advertising in equal font. Porting charges are nuts. The Subscriber Line Charge is userous and pure profit. Intra-state access fees (carrier to carrier fees), particularly with anyone but the biggest carriers, are insane (as much as 10 cents per MOU). And the fact that wireless companies cannot charge the same fees that come to a cell phone in your home as the wireline company charges for the same call from the same person to the home phone is just crazy.

Imagine the discussion at Verizon or at&t if VZW now had an access revenue source and at&t or VZ wireline had to pay out more. Thanks, FCC, and state PUCs. A couple strokes of the pen and we'd have a drastically different landscape. Cablevision's porting fee is just part of the game that VZ, at&t and the rural carriers have perpetuated since the Telecom Act of 1996. Time to change the rules.