Industry groups raise more issues with broadband nutrition labels

A handful of cable and telecommunications industry organizations reasserted arguments that certain requirements linked to the Federal Communications Commission's new nutrition-style broadband labeling order are "wholly unwarranted." A specific quibble centers on directing customers to the labels, which provide data on elements such as broadband speeds and pricing, via "alternative" sales channels, such as by phone or in-store sales. "Requiring that providers collect identifying information and document every customer interaction would be highly disruptive to consumers seeking information through alternative sales channels and would impose significant burdens on providers of all sizes," the organizations claimed in an August 9 2023 meeting with FCC officials. According to an ex parte filing (PDF) describing the meeting, representatives for the following organizations attended the meeting as a unified front: CTIA, ACA Connects; NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association; USTelecom; and NCTA – The Internet & Television Association. The industry groups urged the FCC to clarify whether a broadband service provider satisfies the new labeling rules by "developing appropriate business practices" to promote the distribution of the labels through those alternative sales channels and to retain documentation of those practices for a period of two years. They also argued that requiring broadband service providers to display pass-through fees imposed by federal, state or local government agencies on the labels "is an unwarranted departure" and would add "unnecessary complexity and burdens" that could result in some providers having to create many labels for any given plan. Some broadband providers, they argued, might have to create "tens of thousands of labels" to comply with the requirement.