My ISP slaps a surcharge on use of iChat A/V

Question

My ISP recently started blocking the ports used for iChat A/V and other peer-to-peer services and wants an extra $5.00 per month to open them. They say they have had to install expensive special equipment at their facility to process audio and video calls on their network, hence the surcharge. I've always thought that peer-to-peer calls such as iChat A/V are handled between computers only, requiring no help from an ISP other than an internet connection. Is this true or am I wrong?

Answer 1

I assumed - I know it is dangerous - but OP said that they started blocking ports, making it sound like they did not do so before.
(rant)
This is not directed at you Johnathan, but for an ISP to dictate how you can and cannot use their service is poor customer service at best and just plain bad business. The ISP is a way onto the internet and if they were not prepared for someone to fully use their service then that is not the customers' problem or fault.
If I have a Napster-to-Go account or other music subscription service and legally download 40 gigs of music a day, will they then shut me down for using too much bandwidth? If I use Vonage for VoiP and talk to my mother-in-law in California, will they surcharge me? What if I have a MovieNow account and download full DVD movies daily? Will they send me a "over the limit" bill? If so that just plain stinks, reeks of money grubbing, and big-brother-ism. Where do they draw the line? Where do we allow them to draw the line?
Ditch them and get an ISP that understands how people really use the internet and doesn't try to shoehorn them into how they think you should be allowed to use the internet.
(/rant)