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FCC Chairman Brendan Carr last year said a Biden-era ban on bulk billing would have sent internet bills soaring for renters.
The article describes an FTC rulemaking push to limit “junk” rental housing fees and possibly scrutinize bulk-billed broadband and cable arrangements in multifamily housing.
What the FTC is doing
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The FTC has opened an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) on unfair or deceptive rental housing fee practices, focused on hidden or misleading fees throughout the leasing lifecycle.
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The agency is concerned about practices such as advertising rent without all mandatory fees, tacking on charges late in the process, imposing fees without informed consent, and obscuring the nature and purpose of fees.
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The ANPRM comment period has closed, with over 1,500 comments from trade groups, landlords, consumer advocates, and individuals.
Hidden rental fees focus
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The initiative builds on recent enforcement cases against major landlords like Invitation Homes and Greystar for misrepresenting the true cost of renting and charging undisclosed junk fees.
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The Commission is asking whether a sector-wide rule is needed to require clear, upfront disclosure of total rent and all mandatory fees, beyond case-by-case enforcement.
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The effort aligns with the FTC’s broader “junk fee” agenda and its existing Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees for other industries, which mandates all-in price disclosures.
Bulk billing angle
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The ANPRM also flags concerns about designated or mandatory service providers, including situations where tenants must pay for internet or cable packages they may not use.
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This effectively opens the door for the FTC to examine bulk billing arrangements in rental housing—where a landlord contracts for broadband/cable in bulk and recoups the cost through rent or required fees.
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Industry commenters like NCTA and the Bulk Broadband Alliance argue bulk billing is pro-consumer, claim it can reduce tenants’ internet costs by more than 50 percent, and urge the FTC not to regulate or restrict such arrangements.
Stakeholder positions
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Broadband providers and small ISPs warn that FTC regulation of bulk billing could raise prices and discourage arrangements they say help low‑income renters and improve service quality.
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The National Federation of Independent Business has urged the FTC to drop the rulemaking, arguing the Commission has not shown a “prevalent” pattern of abuse and that fees are better handled at the state level.
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A bipartisan coalition of 27 state attorneys general supports federal action, citing pervasive bait‑and‑switch rental pricing and inconsistent state protections, and backing a national standard on hidden fees.
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