The Regional Sports Network Fee runs between $11.50 and $19.20 a month, which is $138 to $230 a year. It appears on Xfinity, Spectrum, Cox and DirecTV bills. It is not a tax, no government requires it, and you pay it whether or not anybody in the house watches sport.

What it actually is

Regional sports networks charge cable companies to carry local team coverage. The cable company passes that cost on as a separate line rather than putting it in the advertised price.

That is the whole trick. Advertising a package at $70 and adding $19 in fees looks better than advertising $89.

The company sets the amount and the company keeps it.

What it costs

• $11.50 to $19.20 a month depending on provider and market.
• About $138 to $230 a year.
• Charged by Xfinity, Spectrum, Cox and DirecTV.

It is charged whether or not anybody watches sport, because it is attached to the TV package rather than to a channel you chose.

What you can do about it

You usually cannot have it removed on its own. It comes with the television package.

What you can do is ask what the total would be without television at all. If nobody in the house watches live sport, dropping to internet only removes this fee and the Broadcast TV Fee together, and those two alone often come to more than $40 a month.

Ask for retention when you call. The first person who answers cannot approve a change to your package price. Retention can.

Questions people ask

What is the Regional Sports Network Fee?

A charge cable companies add to cover what regional sports networks charge them for local team coverage. It runs $11.50 to $19.20 a month.

Is the Regional Sports Fee a tax?

No. No government requires it. The provider sets the amount and keeps it.

Can I remove the Regional Sports Fee?

Not on its own, because it is attached to the TV package. Dropping television removes it along with the Broadcast TV Fee.

Why am I paying it if I do not watch sport?

Because it is charged on the package rather than on any channel you chose to watch.