Will Sonic finally end equipment rental fees?

[peef]

The Television Viewer Protection Act (TVPA) of 2019 finally makes it illegal for ISPs to charge equipment rental fees for equipment not needed.

I have AT&T carried Sonic Fusion IP Broadband (Residential FX3), and have never wanted nor used the Voice component of this bundle. Sonic flat out refuses to allow me to return the new and still in the box Voice ATA. Here is my bill breakdown:
Fusion IP Broadband Residential FX3, STI-XXXXXXX-5 - SIID XXXXXX-1 ------------ $90.00
Fusion IP Broadband Information - STI-XXXXXXX-5 - Data $80.00 Voice $10.00
Fusion IP Broadband Modem Rental - SIID XXXXXX-1, Device ID XXXXXXX -------- $9.50
ATA Rental - STI-XXXXXX-5, Order ID XXXXX ------------------------------------------------- $6.50

I have also removed the Arris BGW210 RG and am only using the ONT to terminate the fiber into a Ubiquiti ER-4 with the AT&T certificates loaded. Not only am I now in control of MY network and equipment, it also performs a LOT better. Especially on the upload speeds.



So I don't need/want the $10 voice service, but I'm fine if it's part of the "bundle". But since I am not using either the Modem (RG) or the ATA, I would like to return them and not be charged for "renting" something I am not using. I can understand Sonic wanting most customers to keep the AT&T controlled RG so they can troubleshoot, but I definitely have no use for the ATA.

The FCC deadline for this was June 20th of 2020, but they recently extended it for the poor cable companies. My question, is Sonic going to step up and do the right thing? Or are they going to keep on acting like "Big Cable"?

Dane, any comment here? I love Sonic and have recommended it over 15 years to many many people, and even if Sonic is just reselling AT&T in some areas, (like mine) I would 100% rather give them the business. However, I think this equipment rental is a total scam, and if I had an alternative provider that DIDN'T do this, I would definitely jump ship.

[jerrielm]

Hello!

Thanks for all that information. Like you said your own router has the required certs to run on the AT&T's network. With that being said when signing up for the service you did agree to the rental of the ATA and RG. If something were to happen to your router or AT&T certs stop working on non-native AT&T equipment then you would not have any service , and if you do not have the RG then you would need a whole dispatch to get your services up and running again and then you would still be renting out the router. Sadly for the AT&T resold services I do not see us moving away from router rental. i would hope that we get Sonic fiber to your area where you could use any device you wish . I know this may not be the answer you are looking for but I at the very least want to be upfront and clear.

Best Wishes!

[peef]

Ok, I definitely see your point. But what about the useless VoIP and ATA Rental?

[jerrielm]

Hello again!

The ATA is required due to the phone portion of your service. This allows us to be a TeleComm provider. The ATA only comes into play with AT&T services. Hopefully this helps a little bit.

Best Wishes!

[peef]

I'm not using the ATA, so under the act I can return it and Sonic is not allowed to continue to charge a rental fee. This act's provisions will take effect at the end of the year. My question is, is Sonic going to allow this?

[radeyes]

I'm intrigued by your configuration that allows you to skip the AT&T modem. Are there any good instructions you wouldn't mind sharing on doing this? It sounds like you need some AT&T certificates. Can other consumer routers also do this (I'm using a Nest Wifi), or is this specific to the Ubiquiti USG?
Also, how are you bypassing the ATA? Does the Ubiquiti also handle that function? Or do you simply just not use the VOIP line service?
I use my AT&T modem in "passthrough" mode which I discovered is not really passthrough, because it is indeed doing firewall functions that have caused me various issues over the years. I would love to be rid of that device once and for all.

thanks!

[username]

I'm not using the ATA, so under the act I can return it and Sonic is not allowed to continue to charge a rental fee. This act's provisions will take effect at the end of the year. My question is, is Sonic going to allow this?

You might not be using it but it is part of the service bundle you are purchasing. Sonic's Fusion services are a bundle that includes internet access and phone service. Oh, and the act you referred to only applies to cable companies, for whatever that's worth.

[dkiryash]

Television Viewer Protection Act of 2019

This bill addresses provisions related to the retransmission of television-station signals and applies consumer-rights and transparency requirements to consumers' cable and satellite services.

Specifically, the bill makes permanent a provision that allows a multichannel video programming distributor (MVPD) to retransmit television-station signals directly to a home if the subscriber receiving the signal resides in an unserved household located outside the local market of such a station. The bill also allows an MVPD to designate a qualified MVPD buying group to negotiate on its behalf with large broadcast ownership groups regarding retransmission consent for broadcast programming.

Further, the bill requires that providers of internet, voice, mobile, data, and MVPD services (1) engage in transparent sales and e-billing, and (2) refrain from charging a consumer for using equipment not provided by the service provider.

Link to the source: https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-con ... -bill/5035

[peef]

I'm intrigued by your configuration that allows you to skip the AT&T modem. Are there any good instructions you wouldn't mind sharing on doing this? It sounds like you need some AT&T certificates. Can other consumer routers also do this (I'm using a Nest Wifi), or is this specific to the Ubiquiti USG?
Also, how are you bypassing the ATA? Does the Ubiquiti also handle that function? Or do you simply just not use the VOIP line service?
I use my AT&T modem in "passthrough" mode which I discovered is not really passthrough, because it is indeed doing firewall functions that have caused me various issues over the years. I would love to be rid of that device once and for all.

thanks!

This is OT for this thread, but no, I am not using any of Sonic's voice services at all. I have never even plugged their ATA in.

Replacing the AT&T router means you need to extract the certs from it, then install an 802.1X client on whatever router you are using that can then negotiate the connection to AT&T with the certs. I seriously doubt a Nest router will allow this, you need something more configurable. But yes, the only thing AT&T/Sonic supplied that I use the the ONT. (see picture above)

[peef]

I'm not using the ATA, so under the act I can return it and Sonic is not allowed to continue to charge a rental fee. This act's provisions will take effect at the end of the year. My question is, is Sonic going to allow this?

You might not be using it but it is part of the service bundle you are purchasing. Sonic's Fusion services are a bundle that includes internet access and phone service. Oh, and the act you referred to only applies to cable companies, for whatever that's worth.

IANAL, but my reading of the act means it apples to "providers of internet, voice, mobile, data, and MVPD services", so Sonic definitely hits 2 of those.