Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Verizon is apparently increasing its controversial administrative charge.
- This fee is purportedly going up from $3.30 to $3.60 a month per voice line.
- We’ve asked Verizon to confirm this fee increase.
Verizon has long forced users to pay a monthly “Administrative and Telco Recovery Charge,” with complaints that this fee wasn’t adequately explained to customers. The company continued this practice after settling a $100 million lawsuit, and it now looks like this controversial fee is getting more expensive.
A Redditor discovered that Verizon’s admin fee has been increased from $3.30 to $3.60 a month per voice line. The user also pointed out that the fee costs $1.60 per data line. The carrier previously charged $1.40 per data line.
These fee increases are small in the grand scheme of things, but they can add up over time, especially if you have multiple lines on your account. It also represents a pattern of fee hikes over the past few years. The admin fee was $1.95 per voice line in 2022 before jumping to $3.30 in June of that year. Meanwhile, Verizon previously charged a $0.06 fee for data-only lines before a massive jump to $1.40 per line in December 2022.
Verizon previously claimed that this admin fee covered costs like property taxes, network-related costs, and regulatory and industry obligations/programs. The company said that examples of the latter included local number portability and enhanced 911 functionality.
We’ve nevertheless asked the carrier for confirmation of admin fee price increases and will update the article accordingly. Have you seen these fee increases on your bill? Let us know in the comments below.
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