Cord-cutting is at an all-time high, but millions of Americans are still footing the bill for cable TV and they don’t even know it.
While the average cable TV bill keeps increasing and streaming apps dominate the market, companies like Comcast and Spectrum are managing to hold on.
How? Through deals that force customers to pay for cable, whether they want it or not. And the one regulator that could have stopped it has walked away.
Forced Cable Bundles in Apartments and HOAs
Many tenants and homeowners are locked into cable TV plans without their consent. Landlords and homeowners’ associations (HOAs) bundle cable and internet into monthly dues or rent, and these fees are often non-negotiable.
According to iPropertyManagement, the U.S. has roughly 370,000 HOAs covering about 40 million homes. Add apartment buildings, more than 20 million units, and experts say as many as 15 million Americans could be paying for cable without realizing it.
The FCC Walked Away From Banning It
There was a real chance this could have ended. Regulators had floated a plan to ban mandatory bulk cable and internet billing in apartments and HOAs, which would have handed residents an opt-out.
That plan is dead. The FCC dropped the proposed ban, leaving the bundles fully legal and the property deals intact. For anyone hoping to cut the cord in their building, the door has closed.
Streaming, but Still Stuck with Cable
This has created what some call “cable TV quiet quitters.” These are people who stream everything but still pay for cable because they have no choice.
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Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube TV may handle their entertainment, but a chunk of their rent or HOA dues still goes to a cable provider. Most of these users never touch the cable box.
The Numbers Show Why Cable Needs This
The latest figures explain the desperation. In the first quarter of 2026, Comcast lost 322,000 video customers, dropping to around 11 million. Spectrum shed another 51,000 residential video subscribers, ending near 12.5 million.
Nationwide, traditional pay-TV has fallen from over 100 million households a decade ago to somewhere between 50 and 66 million today. Bulk housing deals are the cushion softening that fall.
Final Thoughts from Troy
Cable companies are doing whatever they can to hang on in a streaming-first world dominated by IPTV services, websites, apps, and add-ons. Even if this means burying costs where customers least expect them.
By locking in bulk deals with property managers and HOAs, they’re keeping revenue flowing from people who may not even use the service. With the FCC ban off the table, it’s a quiet survival strategy that keeps cable alive, one hidden fee at a time.
Unless laws change or more landlords rethink these deals, millions will keep paying for something they don’t use.
For more information on this story, refer to the report from Cord Cutter News.
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