The FCC's 2024 all-in pricing rule: what cable and satellite TV bills and ads must show

Cable and satellite TV providers in the United States must show one all-in price for their TV service, both on subscribers' bills and in any advertising or promotion that gives a price. The Federal Communications Commission in Washington, D.C., adopted the rule on March 14, 2024, released it on March 19 and published it in the Federal Register on April 19, 2024. Most providers have had to comply since December 19, 2024, and cable operators with annual receipts of $47 million or less since March 19, 2025. The rule is in force, and its text in the Code of Federal Regulations, current to October 29, 2026, has not changed since November 2024.

What the rule requires

The rule is section 76.310 of the FCC's regulations, titled “Truth in billing and advertising.” It covers three points:

• Bills: the price for video programming must appear as a clear, easy-to-understand and accurate single line item, including on bills for legacy or grandfathered plans. If the price is introductory or time-limited, the bill must say when it ends and, 60 and 30 days before the end, give the price that will follow.
• Promotional materials: any that state a price for video programming must state the aggregate price. If part of it varies by location, the ad must say where and how to get the customer's own all-in price, and a time-limited price must come with the later rate and how long each rate applies.
• Breakdowns: providers may add an itemized explanation of what makes up the price, but it cannot replace or obscure the single price. Marketing for legacy plans no longer generally available to new customers is exempt from the advertising part.

What goes into the price

The order spells out what the single price must contain. Programming costs that providers often listed as separate fees, for broadcast stations or sports channels, belong inside it. Charges for things other than the programming may stay outside.

In the 2024 order, the FCC said the record showed that 24 to 33 percent of a consumer's bill came from company-imposed fees with names such as “Broadcast TV Fees,” “Regional Sports Surcharges” and “HD Technology Fees.” Listing programming costs as separate fees, it said, misled consumers into believing they were government-imposed charges “when they are nothing of the sort.” It kept taxes and equipment out partly for practical reasons: taxes can vary by location, and equipment needs vary by household.

Who it covers

The rule applies to cable operators and direct broadcast satellite providers. In the order, the FCC estimated that the two accounted for 96 to 99 percent of subscribers to multichannel video programming distributors, the traditional pay-TV services, and said the record showed misleading pricing by these providers. DIRECTV argued during the proceeding that the rule would not apply to other video providers, including online video distributors. The FCC kept it to cable and satellite, and said it would consider action if other providers were shown to use misleading pricing.

Bundles are covered too. When a cable or satellite provider sells TV together with services such as internet or phone, it must still disclose the aggregate cost of the video programming, clearly and accurately.

How the rule came about

The rule builds on the Television Viewer Protection Act of 2019. That law already required pay-TV providers to give the total monthly charge before a customer signs a contract, to let new customers cancel without a fee or penalty within 24 hours, and to itemize electronic bills. The FCC proposed the all-in rule in June 2023, and the vote on it was split.

The advertised price for a service should be the price you pay when your bill arrives.

Commissioners Brendan Carr and Nathan Simington dissented. Both argued that the FCC's legal authority reached, at most, cable bills, and not satellite bills or the advertising of either.

What applies now

The rule is in force for every cable and satellite provider. In the eCFR, current to October 29, 2026, section 76.310 reads as amended on November 6, 2024, when the FCC added the compliance dates, with no later amendment. For subscribers, that means the TV line on a cable or satellite bill, and any price in an ad, should include programming charges such as broadcast and sports costs, while taxes and equipment, administrative and franchise fees may still appear separately.