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Cable companies ask 5th Circuit to block FTC’s click-to-cancel rule | Cable companies worry rule will make it hard to talk customers out of canceling (arstechnica.com)

submitted 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) by ForgottenFlux@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world

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Cable companies, advertising firms, and newspapers are asking courts to block a federal "click-to-cancel" rule that would force businesses to make it easier for consumers to cancel services. Lawsuits were filed yesterday, about a week after the Federal Trade Commission approved a rule that "requires sellers to provide consumers with simple cancellation mechanisms to immediately halt all recurring charges."

The 5th Circuit is generally regarded as the nation's most conservative, but the 6th Circuit also has a majority of judges appointed by Republican presidents. When identical lawsuits are filed in multiple circuits, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation randomly selects a court to handle the case.

The NCTA cable lobby group, which represents companies like Comcast and Charter, have complained about the rule's impact on their ability to talk customers out of canceling. NCTA CEO Michael Powell claimed during a January 2024 hearing that "a consumer may easily misunderstand the consequences of canceling and it may be imperative that they learn about better options" and that the rule's disclosure and consent requirements raise "First Amendment issues."

"Too often, businesses make people jump through endless hoops just to cancel a subscription," FTC Chair Lina Khan said. "The FTC's rule will end these tricks and traps, saving Americans time and money. Nobody should be stuck paying for a service they no longer want."

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[–] systemguy_64@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago

But how will we force you to listen to some agent in the Philippines ramble on about how great the service is, and offer you a 6 month promo rate that you will forget about??

[–] TachyonTele@lemm.ee 4 points 6 days ago

The NCTA cable lobby group, which represents companies like Comcast and Charter, have complained about the rule’s impact on their ability to talk customers out of canceling.

Huh. Fancy that.

[–] sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 3 points 6 days ago

I actually like my ISP. Why? They offer a good service at good prices, and it's primarily because they're a less popular (read: almost zero marketing budget) company and need to compete against two larger companies. Here are some things I like about them:

the price they advertise is the price I pay, and it also already includes any relevant taxes!
the speed they advertise is the speed I get, no more, no less
there are no contracts, if I don't like the service, I just cancel (have to call because their website blows, but whatever)
they recently started offering higher speeds, and when they did, they reduced the prices of their other plans
they've never increased prices since I've been a customer

They've earned my business for the last 10 years or so. Yeah, they have occasional outages and CGNAT, and that's annoying, but they more than make up for it by not having any other BS to deal with whatsoever. We're rolling out muni fiber soon, so I'll probably switch to that once it's available and they'll probably be my pick of provider, assuming their prices are competitive (don't see why they wouldn't be).

[–] BigTrout75@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago

To be fair, users should talk to a subscribe specialist before being able to cancel 🤪

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