UK: Government targets landline fee
March 22, 2016
Households subscribing to broadband packages would be exempted from the standing rental charge on their landline if they don’t use it, under proposals from the Culture minister, Ed Vaizey has said the charges of around £18 a month are “outdated.”
He wants householders to only pay for the services they use, describing it as an “analogue billing system in a digital world”. The minister is inviting BT, TalkTalk, Virgin and Sky for discussions. One in five home owners don’t make fixed line calls, but have to pay for landline connections.
The minister said ending hidden costs, such as line rental, could mean other products becoming more expensive, but he wanted transparency around pricing.