Provider Associations Urge FCC Not to Complicate Broadband Labels

In comments filed with the Federal Communications Commission, broadband service provider associations urged the FCC not to complicate the consumer labels that will be required at the point of sale for broadband services. The FCC should strive for “simplicity” in the labels by “only including that information that will give consumers meaningful insight into the broadband plans they are considering without including hypertechnical information that is meaningless to consumers and would overburden providers,” said USTelecom in its comments. In comments filed jointly, NTCA—The Rural Broadband Association and the Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA) also cautioned the FCC about the risk of overburdening providers. In 2016, the FCC had planned to require broadband consumer labels similar in concept to the nutrition labels found on food items sold in the US Plans for the labels, sometimes referred to as “broadband nutrition labels,” were scrapped when Ajit Pai took over as FCC chairman in 2017 but came to life again in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) adopted late 2021. In comments filed separately in the new broadband label proceeding, both ACA Connects and NCTA—The Internet & Television Association advised the FCC not to “reinvent the wheel” in establishing requirements for the labels. According to both associations, considerable stakeholder input went into the plans for the label that were made in 2016 and the FCC shouldn’t tamper with those plans.