How Internet and TV providers get away with jacking up your bill

About 200 million people live in parts of America with only one or two options for reliable, fast Internet, according to the White House. Internet service providers also get to sell service using techniques borrowed from used car salesmen; they bundle Internet access with cable TV without telling you how much you’re paying for each, concoct arbitrary charges for using “too much” data, and lock whole apartment buildings into exclusive contracts. Most of all, they push us onto packages with limited-time pricing that rises dramatically if you don’t remember to call up and threaten to quit. We don’t even know how much a “normal” Internet bill costs, whether people are getting the speed they’re paying for—or how much prices go up in areas without competition. If the government isn’t going to hold these companies accountable, we have to try to do it ourselves. You can find many of their shenanigans hidden on your latest bill—but only if you know where to look.