AT&T has added a new monthly administrative fee of 61 cents to the bills of all of its contract mobile lines as of 01 May, the Wall Street Journal reports. An AT&T spokeswoman stressed the similar practices of other carriers, noting that customers were given 30 days notice about the fee and its details are included on every bill. The fee covers "certain expenses, such as interconnection and cell-site rents and maintenance." The new AT&T fee goes on top of a "regulatory cost recovery charge" that averages about 50 cents per line, in order to cover the expense of complying with government regulations. AT&T began adding that to its bill "approximately 10 years ago," it said. For AT&T, the new fee could bring in almost USD 350 million in new revenue for 2013, according to Citigroup.
