The new tax fee explained: keeping costs honest and fair

Ting Internet is all about bringing you fast, reliable internet that keeps you connected. But as with most things in life, there are a few behind-the-scenes things that keep everything running smoothly. One of those is the new Infrastructure Tax Passthrough—a small fee designed to help support the taxes levied by federal, state and local governments. But it’s not as complicated as it sounds. Let’s break it down.

What is the Infrastructure Tax Passthrough?

The Infrastructure Tax Passthrough is a fee that helps cover the local and state taxes Ting Internet is required to pay. These taxes fund the infrastructure—fiber lines, cables and all the behind-the-scenes tech—that keeps the internet running.

It’s important to note that this fee doesn’t stay with Ting—100% is sent directly to your city, county and/or state. This passthrough is a way to make sure we’re covering required taxes while continuing to bring you the best internet possible.

Why is this happening now? 

The monthly cost of Ting residential internet has been $89 for the last 10 years. We’ve worked hard to keep that price steady in the face of market changes, increased taxation and inflation. But as these costs continue to rise, this passthrough helps us maintain the quality of service you expect without sneaky price hikes or vague “operations fees.”

The Infrastructure tax passthrough is a 100% passthrough of taxes that Ting must pay as part of local operations. No money collected through this goes to anything except to offset local taxes to the cities where we do business across the US, and this is a small percentage of the taxes we pay. We've averaged this cost across markets to keep things straightforward, ensuring transparency when customers sign up.

We know that, if you’ve had service through another ISP, chances are you’ve become used to extra fees and costs being tacked onto your bill. If you already see this fee there, you can be reassured there are no plans for any additional fees to be added to your bill. 

Honesty isn’t exactly the industry standard in internet service, but it’s our standard. Instead of rolling this cost into a price increase or a generic “operations fee,” we’re showing our math. No mystery fees. No tricks. 

The FCC has recently required ISPs to show their costs, fees and how much of your bill is actually a promotional price that will shoot up. It’s in their official Broadband Facts (sometimes called the Broadband Nutrition Label). Whether it’s ours or anyone else’s, it’s important to review it. And it’s honestly a shame that it took government action to make that public. We’ll always be clear about our costs.

How much does this cost?

The amount you’ll see on your bill depends on your account type. Here’s a quick breakdown:

• Residential & Small Business Customers: $4.77 per month. 
• Mid-sized Business & Enterprise Customers: Up to $14.31 per month. 
• Multi-Dwelling Customers (like those in HOAs or rental units): $3.58 per unit per month, but only when your contract renews.
• Affordable Connectivity Program & Ting Affordability Program Customers: You won’t be charged the fee. 

Why is the fee different?

Since different customer types require different amounts of network resources and work, we’ve structured the fee to keep things fair and balanced.

A quick recap:

• The Infrastructure Tax Passthrough helps support taxes used for building and maintaining the networks that power Ting’s services.
• The fee varies depending on your account type, ranging from $3.58 to $14.31 per month. 
• This fee 100% goes toward taxes that fund internet infrastructure—not to Ting.

We’re keeping it simple, clear, and upfront—because that’s how we do things at Ting. If you have any questions, we’re here to help. Reach out anytime at help.ting.com and we’ll be happy to walk you through any of your concerns.

As always, thanks for choosing Ting. We’re here to keep you connected.