FCC Requires Broadband Providers To Display Labels to Help Consumers

The Federal Communications Commission unveiled new rules that will, for the first time, require broadband providers to display easy-to-understand labels to allow consumers to comparison shop for broadband services. The Report and Order creates rules that require broadband providers to display, at the point of sale, labels that show key information consumers want−prices, speeds, fees, data allowances, and other critical information. The labels resemble the well-known nutrition labels that appear on food products. The FCC also sought comment on ways it can enhance the newly-adopted label in the future, including different ways to display broadband performance information. The new broadband labels will empower consumers with several features including:

• Prominent Display. The Order ensures that consumers see their actual label when purchasing broadband by requiring providers to display the label – not simply an icon or link to the label – in close proximity to an associated plan advertisement.
• Account Portals. The Order requires ISPs to make each customer’s label easily accessible to the customer in their online account portal, as well as to provide the label to an existing customer upon request.
• Machine Readability. To further assist with comparison shopping, the Order requires that providers make the information in the labels machine-readable to enable third parties to more easily collect and aggregate data for the purpose of creating comparison-shopping tools for consumers.
• Further Refinements. The FCC also adopted a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on ways that it can further refine and improve its rules in order to ensure that we further our consumer transparency goals.

The Report and Order also includes a template of the required label. To ensure the label benefits all consumers, the FCC adopted language and accessibility requirements for the label’s display.