What Is the Broadcast TV Fee?
It looks like a tax because it sits near the taxes. It is not one. The provider invented it, sets the amount, and keeps the money.
What it actually is
The Broadcast TV Fee is a charge your provider adds to cover what it pays local stations to carry their channels. That cost is real. The decision to bill it as a separate line rather than include it in the advertised price is not.
It is not a government tax, it is not mandated by the FCC, and no law requires it to appear on your bill at all. Providers say so themselves in their own published terms, which is the most useful fact on this page.
What it costs
It runs roughly twenty five to twenty seven dollars a month depending on the provider and the market. Over a year that is about three hundred dollars, on top of the price you agreed to.
The Regional Sports Fee is its close relative and works the same way, at about eleven to nineteen dollars a month. If you do not watch sport you are still paying it.
Why it goes up when your price is locked
This is the part that catches people. The fee sits OUTSIDE your promotional rate. When a provider says your price is locked for two years, the lock covers the package price and not the fees attached to it.
So the fee can rise, and does, while the company can still say truthfully that it has not raised your rate. That is not a loophole somebody found. It is the reason the charge is structured as a separate line in the first place.
What to say about it
Call and ask to be transferred to retention. Then say this:
"I am looking at a charge on my bill that your own terms say is not a government tax, and I would like it reviewed."
Naming the charge matters. A general complaint about the bill being high gets a general answer. A specific charge, quoted back with the company own wording, gets a different conversation.
They may not remove it. Many will not, because it funds a real cost. But it is frequently offset with a credit or a package change, and you cannot be offered that if you never ask.
Send me your bill. Reading it is free.
Reading your bill is free either way. If I save you money, my share is a quarter less for anyone 50 or over. There is no form to fill in and nothing to prove: no date of birth, no ID.
This is not offered anywhere else on the site. Scan the code or use the link, and the reduced rate is applied automatically.
Send my bill at the reduced rate
Frequently asked questions
Is the Broadcast TV Fee a tax?
No. It is set and kept by the provider. Providers state in their own published terms that it is not a government tax and not required by any law.
Can I refuse to pay it?
Not without ending the service. It is part of the contract you agreed to. What you can do is ask for it to be reviewed or offset, which is a different question.
Why did it go up when my price is locked?
Because it sits outside the locked rate. A price lock covers the package price, not the fees attached to it, which is why the charge exists as a separate line.
Does everyone pay the same amount?
No. It varies by provider and by market, roughly twenty five to twenty seven dollars a month. Your own bill is the only place to see what you are actually paying.