ISPs now required to display consumer broadband ‘nutrition’ labels
As of Wednesday, internet service providers are required by the Federal Communications Commission to display standardized labels with basic information about their broadband services when selling to consumers.
The new labels resemble food nutrition labels and are intended to improve transparency by disclosing broadband prices, speeds, data allowances, privacy policies and details about introductory rates.
“Today is an exciting day for consumers,” FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel said in a press release. “These ‘nutrition label’ disclosures are designed to make it simpler for consumers to know what they are getting, hold providers to their promises and benefit from greater competition–which means better service and prices for everyone.”
The 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act directed the FCC to require broadband consumer labels and it adopted rules the following year requiring internet service providers to display labels at the point of sale for both in-person and online purchases.
The labels are required to be available for fixed internet service and mobile broadband plans, according to the FCC.
Providers with more than 100,000 subscribers are currently required to display the label for consumers at the time of purchase. Those with fewer than 100,000 subscribers have until Oct. 10 to comply with the new rules. By that same date, all broadband labels must be machine-readable to allow for comparison-shopping tools for consumers.
CBS News reported that some providers, including Verizon and Google Fiber, began using the labels ahead of the FCC’s deadline.
“Verizon supports the goal of the FCC Broadband labels in helping to ensure consumers have all the facts before choosing a home internet provider, which is why we chose to launch the labels last month, in advance of the April 10 federal deadline,” a Verizon spokesperson told CBS News.
