Rep Brindisi (D-NY) Introduces FCC Reporting Bill, Slams Cable Broadband Providers on House Floor

Rep Anthony Brindisi (D-NY) has introduced the Transparency for Cable Consumers Act to make operators that have been fined by state public service commissions to have to report back to the Federal Communications Commission. Rep Brindisi took to the House floor, saying there was a need for more oversight of cable and broadband providers and citing "price increases, slow internet speeds and baffling fees." Rep Brindisi charged that customers all over the country were getting overcharged by their cable company and don't always get the advertised speed they are paying for, particularly in rural areas. Under the Transparency for Cable Consumers Act, if a cable or internet company is fined by a state Public Service Commission, it would be required to report:

• The number of cable and broadband internet customers in each county;
• The average cable bill and broadband internet bill amounts in each county;
• A full accounting of all fees charged customers in each county; and
• The average broadband internet speeds delivered in each county.