Digital service fee and Timeshift fee

[cwalterson]

Hi,

My satellite tv bill is as follows;

Cartoon Network $4.00

Crave with Starz $25.00

Satellite TV Better $95.45

Digital Service Fee $3.00

HD Receiver 60 months - month 35 $8.00

Timeshift $5.00

What are the Digital Service Fee and Timeshift charges for? 

[AlexS]

I think the Digital Service Fee is simply bc of the ability to watch recordings on Fibe TV app. I noticed this fee is not charged under ALT tv (now called Fibe tv app pack). For timeshift, this pack has lots of local channels from regions far away from ur location. There’s no way to get their feeds by an antenna. Some stations r in the same time zone as u while others r not.

[dannyboy]

Digital service fee has been charged long before Fibe even existed. It just an unnecessary fee in my opinion. I am on the starter pack and to keep it at the government's $25.00 package, they charge me $23.00 plus the $3.00 digital access fee. Time shift allows you to access channels like CTV, from Vancouver to Nova Scotia. I usually get it when Fall programming starts so if there are 3 shows I want to record  and they are all on at the same time, one of them I can record at a later time with time shift.

By the way , have you gone through your "better" package and see what shows you actually watch? You might be better off going with "Starter package" and then add "a la carte package (10 channels for $23.00). Just a thought.

[sheldon]

my bill increased because of something called "digital TV." was that because I've been watching Youtube?

[Why]

We recently signed up for Bell Satellite TV and a $3 Digital Service Fee is automatically charged for the Fibe TV app.  We will never use this app so just wondering if the Digital Service Fee can be removed or not.

[WelshTerrier · Accepted solution]

Bell Satellite TV

Digital Service Fee : $3.00 This is a monthly recurring programming fee, which relates to costs incurred in operating network and maintaining and/or upgrading technological platforms.

Timeshift $5.00 : Is a Specialty and more Add-on TV package that you have subscribed to. It includes all Canadian time zones & 1 US time zone. You can view this in MyBell as part of your TV Channel lineup.

[WelshTerrier]

Bell introduced a $3-a-month "digital service fee" at the beginning of 2008 to help pay for costs incurred in operating the network and maintaining and/or upgrading technological platforms.

At that time, there was only Bell Satellite TV. In late 2010, Bell introduced Fibe TV in the Montreal & Toronto areas.

The Digital Service Fee is a recurring monthly fee that is applied to all Bell Satellite & Fibe TV services. It can not be removed. This fee was not introduced as a direct result of the Fibe TV app.

If I can be of further help, please do not hesitate to reach out on the Bell Community Forum.

Take care.

[Jam 1]

The Digital Service Fee is a tax that the Liberals passed in 2020.  Bell being the people that they are pass it along to consumers while passing service, decades old telephone landlines to seniors for $60 / month, paying customer service agents $2/hour, and forcing customers on $15/month "receivers" that can't change a channel 10' away if you're feet are in the way

[WelshTerrier]

Good Day.

The Digital Service Fee, $3.00, is a monthly recurring programming fee, which relates to costs incurred in operating network and maintaining and/or upgrading technological platforms.

TimeShift $5.00 is a Specialty and more Add-on TV package that you can subscribe to. It includes all Canadian time zones & 1 US time zone. You can view this in MyBell as part of your TV Channel lineup.

Take care.

[Jam 1]

What is the $125 for.  Please explain the $3 charge.

[Jam 1]

So I never use Bell streaming as it's useless.  Only paying for satellite.   Please explain.

[WelshTerrier]

Good Day.

@Jam 1 Thank you for posting your questions & sharing your thoughts. You may not like the answer that you have received, & you can even suggest that this is disinformation, but it is what it is.

As I mentioned in a previous reply, the Digital Service Fee, $3.00, was introduced at the beginning of 2008. It is a monthly recurring programming fee, which relates to costs incurred in operating network and maintaining and/or upgrading technological platforms. 

TimeShift $5.00 is a Specialty and more Add-on TV package that you can subscribe to. It includes all Canadian time zones & 1 US time zone. You can view this in MyBell as part of your TV Channel lineup.

"Bell was not the only option in 2010 in western Canada, which makes your eastern response sound like disinformation." What can I say? I will leave that with you to ponder.

Take care.

[dks]

With respect, the Digital Service Fee has been on my Bell Satellite TV bill for 17 years. Bell, like most providers, breaks out their various charges in the interest of full transparency to consumers. Consumers are always free to change providers if they are not happy with their programming or service. We do have choices.