Your internet was down for days, but the provider refuses a credit. There is no single federal rule requiring a prorated refund for every broadband outage.
There is no universal federal prorated-refund rule
The FCC accepts broadband billing and service complaints, but does not impose a blanket rule requiring every provider to prorate every outage automatically. Provider agreements and state rules can create additional rights.
Start with the service agreement
Check outage, billing and service-credit terms, including minimum outage durations and request procedures. Keep the full agreement, including arbitration provisions.
Document the outage
- Start/end time.
- Provider outage notices.
- Router or modem records where available.
- Support tickets and case numbers.
- Invoices showing the billed period.
Ask for a specific credit
Calculate the amount you believe should be credited based on the provider's policy or contract and explain the non-service period.
Escalate
The FCC may serve telecom billing/service complaints on the provider, which generally has up to 30 days to respond. State regulators can also be relevant depending on the service.
What this means practically
- Do not promise an automatic federal credit.
- Use the provider's actual credit policy.
- Document the outage and every support interaction.
- Escalate through the appropriate federal or state route.
Sources
Related Kibbo Tools
- Broadband Service Problem Checklist — document outages, run diagnostics and prepare your credit request with evidence.