We have posted a lot of articles in the past about extra fees that your cable provider adds to your monthly bill. We have been telling people cut the cord for years now and maybe seeing some of these fees will prompt you to join the millions of people who are cutting the cord each year. We will also show you some products that you can use to avoid some of these fees.

We will not be including fees that are mandated by the Government that are included on your monthly bill. Also, please remember that these are fees that are not included in the advertised price, these are extra fees that you will only see on your monthly bill.

Router / Modem / Wifi Fee

Almost every cable company installs a Router / Modem combo when they set up your internet. They will install it and give you your Wifi password. What the technician does not tell you is that you are really renting this router from your cable company. Not only are they charging your money each month to rent this router, but they sometimes charge you an extra fee to use the Wifi functionality of the router that you are renting. Look at your cable / internet bill and see if you are being charged either or both of these fees. You may be surprised that you are paying $5 to $20 each month to rent a lower end router that could be years old already.

But you do have the option of buying your own equipment and avoiding these monthly rental fees. 

Once you get any of these items connected, you simply need to call your internet company and tell that they you bought your own equipment. They will ask a few questions, then they will activate the equipment on their end. It is much easier than it sounds and takes only a few minutes. This is one of the best ways to save money each month, get better wifi coverage and have an overall better internet experience. We highly suggest getting your own equipment as it will PAY FOR ITSELF in no time. Let's be real here, your not disconnecting your internet anytime soon :)

Modem Router Combo – As these have both the Modem and Router built in, you only need one piece of equipment. These Modem Router Combos are compatible with all Cable Providers including Xfinity by Comcast, Charter, Spectrum and Cox! 

Browse Yourself- Modem Router Combo

Modems – Please note that these only bring in the internet signal. They do not broadcast the signal through Wifi. If you go this route you will need a Wifi router as well. These are a great choice if you already have your own WiFi router and just want to stop paying to rent a modem from your cable company!

Browse Yourself - Cable Modem No Wifi

Wifi Routers - Please note that these only broadcast the internet signal. They do not bring in the internet signal. If you go this route you will need a modem as well. These are a great option if you already have a modem and want to upgrade your WiFi signal!

Browse Yourself - WiFi Router

Broadcast TV Fee

Your local ABC, NBC, FOX and CBS channels are some of the most expensive channels that are in your cable package. This is because many different companies own these local channels and charge your cable company money in order for them to be able to offer them. So cable companies decided in 2014 to charge a Broadcast TV fee that is not included in the advertised prices of their different TV packages.

What is really crazy is that you can get these channels and many others for FREE with an HD antenna. Not free as in sometimes or limited time offer, like free for life! In fact it is a law in the US that local channels need to broadcast their signal through the air to a certain amount of people in a certain area.

Do you know why else these channels are the most expensive for your cable company to offer? It’s because they air 94% of the most watched programming on TV.

So if you want to buy one item that will get you free ABC, NBC, FOX and CBS in crystal clear HD, an HD antenna is a must have!

Here is a link to see how many channels you may expect to receive in your area. If you get a good amount of channels our Mohu 60 mile antenna is an awesome choice!

Check Channels Near You

Mohu 60 Mile HD Indoor Antenna

A Mohu 60 Mile Antenna is included in every SkyStream Three Plus Cord Cutting Package!

However, if you do not see a lot of channels pop up, you can use This Website to see how far away different channels are from you. If there are some outside of a 50 mile radius, you may be a candidate for an outdoor antenna with a longer range.

Here are some great choices in outdoor antennas from Amazon!

 Browse Yourself - Outdoor TV Antenna

Universal Connectivity Fee

This fee is reportedly used by some cable companies to help build out its network in low-income areas.

According to them, this fee is not government mandated, but these costs are outside of our control and so are passed through to our customers. It’s a fee they control and know about, but do not include into the advertised cost of the package.

So basically they are is subsidizing the costs of building out their network in order to obtain more paying customers using their existing customer’s money.

Franchise Fee

Your city or local municipality charges your cable company a fee to offer TV and internet services within city limits. So your city is making money by allowing your cable company to offer their service in the city. This brings in money cities can use to, well, make the city better without taxing its citizens more. Sounds good right? Your cable company pays money so they can offer services and make money. Seems like a win win. However once again they are subsidizing the cost of doing business by charging you a fee each month. Makes sense right, just pass along the cost of doing business directly to the customer.

Franchise Related Cost Fee

This one truly baffles us. Not only are they charging you the Franchise Fee, but also a fee for related costs of being a franchise in your city. We have no idea what that means. Are you starting to see a pattern here? Your cable company is passing along the cost of being able to provide you with a service in your monthly bill.

Regional Sports Fee

The regional sports fee is a fee for providing regional sports in your cable package. This fee becomes more infuriating when cable companies own most of the regional sports channels. So they pay the regional sports channel which is owned by them with money that is included in your cable package. Then they pay themselves more by charging you a regional sports fee. Sounds like double dipping to us. But keep in mind this is not the case in every city. The fee is charged in every city, but your cable company does not own all of the regional sports channels in every city.

Conclusion

While getting a modem, router or an HD antenna cannot eliminate all of these fees, they will certainly help you lower your monthly bill. Now if you cut your cable completely, get an HD for your local channels and get a SkyStream Three Plus for all of your streaming needs you can save up to $2,500 per year. That is enough to go on a great vacation, pay down a credit card, start a retirement account, etc.