Proposed bulk billing ban takes heat at Broadband Communities Summit

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Bulk billing packages have offered services that are wanted by residents, according to Linda Willey, the vice president of business services at Camden Property Trust.

By: Brad Randall, Broadband Communities

Linda Willey, who delivered a keynote address discussing the state of the multifamily industry on behalf of the National Multifamily Housing Council at the Broadband Communities Summit in Houston, said a current Federal Communications Commission (FCC) proposal to ban bulk billing offers a “serious threat.”

“The FCC proposal around bulk billing poses a serious threat for industry operations and the future of affordable broadband access for residents,” Willey said to a packed room of summit attendees.

Out of over 56,200 units offered at Camden’s properties, Willey said less than .05 percent of residents moved out because of the bulk technology packages offered by Camden, according to recent data from the company.

The technology packages offered by Camden include community-wide Wi-Fi, which Willey said is used to enforce the company’s sustainability efforts, monitoring everything from water usage to energy consumption, which is tracked by using smart thermostats.

“So, the services are working,” Willey said. “Bulk billing is not deterring our residents’ ability to move into our communities.”

Willey said the multifamily industry will need to stand united to oppose the FCC proposal to ban bulk billing, which has also found support from the White House.

She said the NMHC will also soon be issuing a member survey to collect data needed to display that renters, especially those in rural communities, are well served by bulk billing arrangements.

In announcing her proposal to ban bulk billing arrangements in March, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel’s office described bulk billing arrangements as agreements in which “tenants are required to pay for broadband, cable, and satellite service provided by a specific communications provider, even if they do not wish to take the service or would prefer to use another provider.”

Rosenworcel’s proposal, if adopted, would allow tenants to opt-out of bulk billing arrangements.

Organizations, including the National Multifamily Housing Council, have lined up to oppose the proposal.

A March letter opposing the proposal, addressed to President Biden by name, included the CCIM Institute, the Council for Affordable and Rural Housing, the Institute of Real Estate Management, the Manufactured Housing Institute, the Mortgage Bankers Association, the National Apartment Association, the National Association of Home Builders, the National Association of Realtors, and the National Leased Housing Association.

“Banning bulk internet agreements will harm residents, and disincentivize investment in broadband service, especially in rural areas as well as low-income, smaller, and more-affordable rental communities who struggle the most to get connected,” the letter stated. “Bulk billing arrangements are pro-consumer and pro-renter and help support property operations like climate resilience and our shared, long-term goals of improving housing affordability.”