Broadband consumer labels could become less transparent under new FCC rules

A vote by the Federal Communications Commission scheduled for later this month could allow internet providers to disclose fewer details about the fees added to customers’ bills. Here are the details.

FCC weighs rollback of pricing disclosures

As reported by Ars Technica, the FCC is looking to roll back Biden-era broadband pricing disclosure rules.

If approved, the changes could allow internet providers to make added fees less visible to consumers.

Currently, ISPs must itemize passthrough fees on their broadband consumer labels. However, the new rules would let them combine those charges into a single “up to” amount.

From Ars Technica:

Under Chairman Brendan Carr, the Trump FCC has steadily whittled away at requirements imposed under Democrats. An order released in draft form last week would eliminate the requirement to itemize passthrough fees and let ISPs list them in a single “up to” amount. The “up to” amount can include both government fees and fees charged by non-government entities such as owners of utility poles.

According to the FCC, this change would reduce the burden on providers that currently have to create and update numerous labels to account for fees that vary by location:

“Rather than continuing to require providers to itemize ‘passthrough fees’ that can vary by location, we allow providers to display such fees in the aggregate, either as a maximum or ‘up to’ amount for the total fees applicable in any location where the service plan is offered, or as the exact total of such fees assessed in a particular location,” the FCC draft order said.

Rolling back the fee-itemization requirement wouldn’t be the only change.

According to Ars Technica, the FCC is also considering allowing ISPs to link to broadband labels rather than displaying them directly on ordering pages and customer account portals, which the agency acknowledges “may result in fewer consumers reading the label”.

Additionally, providers would no longer have to publish the label data in machine-readable spreadsheets, making it harder for third parties to build price-comparison tools or conduct market research. In that case, Ars Technica notes that “ISPs will still have to make the information accessible to people with disabilities by making the labels compatible with screen readers and other assistive technologies.”

Finally, phone representatives would also be allowed “to present label information conversationally, as a summary of key label fields, rather than require verbatim recitation.” At the same time, ISPs would no longer have to retain labels for discontinued plans for at least two years.

To read Ars Technica’s full report, follow this link.

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