Verizon to Charge Fee for 'Outdated' Fios Routers

Verizon will assess a maintenance fee monthly to Fios customers with “outdated” broadband routers, the company said in a post on its support forum Wednesday. The telco ISP started notifying customers by email and direct mail July 18 and will continue to send notices until Aug. 29, it said. Most Fios customers have newer routers with higher wired and wireless speeds, and won’t be affected, the company said. “We’re asking customers using older generation routers to upgrade to one of our current models … If they choose not to upgrade, notified customers will be assessed a $2.80 monthly fee to cover the rising costs of supporting the outdated devices.” Customers can avoid the charge by buying a refurbished third-generation Verizon router for $59 or the company’s new Quantum Gateway for $199.99 or $10 a month, Verizon said. The affected older routers are the Aciontec MI424WR Rev A, C, D, E and F, and the Westell 9100EM Rev A and C, Verizon said. “The routers in question are outdated and some have been in service for as long as ten years which is far older than many of the modern devices that now connect to them,” it said. “Our tech support centers have a much higher call-in rate for customers with the older routers resulting in higher costs to Verizon to keep these customers in service. The $2.80 fee will help recoup these higher support costs.”