Junk Fees Prevention Act Enjoys Overwhelming, Bipartisan Support –

Staff Report –

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Let’s face it, President Joe Biden has not been the most universally popular president, with his job approval ratings consistently in the low 40s. But his idea to limit “junk fees” by law appears to have hit a major nerve with the American public.

A Morning Consult poll shows Biden’s appeal to Congress in the State of the Union Address on Feb. 7 to pass the Junk Fees Prevention Act is hugely popular on both sides of the political aisle, with clear majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independents saying Congress should pass a law limiting these so-called “junk fees” by banks, hotels, cable television and internet service providers and concert ticket promoters.

About 75 percent of Americans favor the law, which would limit extra fees or surcharges across the travel and entertainment industries, including early termination fees from cable TV or internet providers, service fees often attached to tickets for concerts and sporting events, hotel bills and bank accounts.

Related: President Biden Delivers 2023 State of the Union Address

Biden previously called out companies like Live Nation Entertainment Inc.’s Ticketmaster to lower the “huge” service fees it places on many events and to be more transparent with consumers about a ticket’s full costs. The ticketing platform has been under Congressional scrutiny since November for its disastrous handling of pre-sales for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, which renewed accusations that the company is monopolizing the live event industry.

The problem is the law is most likely dead on arrival in the Republican controlled House, where it appears no Biden idea has much of a chance of making it onto the House calendar, where ridiculous hearings are being planned to explore dead investigations such as the contents of Hunter Biden’s laptop, whether social media companies discriminate against conservatives by moderating their comments, and whether the FBI, the IRS and the United States Department of Justice have in for Republicans.

Inflation concerns among Americans have spiked during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic — and especially in the last year. A Morning Consult survey from July 2022 found that a third of Americans had purchased fewer entertainment experiences, while nearly a third had bought fewer entertainment subscriptions.

Meanwhile, 45 percent of adults said they have been surprised by service fees (beyond the baseline price of the ticket) when purchasing tickets online for events like concerts or sporting events.

“The White House believes that limiting junk fees would hold large corporations accountable for charging customers unfair fees, while simultaneously putting some money back in Americans’ pockets,” Morning Consult says in its analysis of the survey data. “The majority of consumers — even those who likely don’t think highly of the president — are on board with that idea, should the divided Congress act on his proposals.”

Democrats seem slightly more likely to support “junk fee” proposals than Republicans, but a large majority, 3 out of 4 Americans, support the idea. While 80 percent of Democrats support the law, 72 percent of Republicans say they do so as well, along with 70 percent of political independents.

Among the generations, baby boomers are most likely to support reducing fees for concerts and sporting events (79%), as well as eliminating fees charged by cell phone, cable TV and internet providers (77%).

Among income brackets, those who reported a household income of $100,000 or more are most likely to say they want reduced service fees (82%) and the elimination of early termination fees (80%).

About a third of adults (34%) have a favorable opinion of Ticketmaster, compared with 30% who have an unfavorable view of that company.

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