Broadband Labels and Empowering Consumers

If implemented properly, broadband consumer labels can empower individuals and communities to ensure that their broadband service meets their needs and expectations. However, the Coalition recognizes that navigating the detailed information included in the broadband consumer label can be overwhelming. With this in mind, these labels can also support digital navigators and community leaders in guiding community members to find the right plan for them. We urge the Federal Communications Commission to ensure that consumers have effective means for reproducing the results and verifying the accuracy of the data. We believe that the best way to achieve this is to require that performance metrics be measured using open and transparent data and methodologies that enable replicability of analyses and results. This would empower consumers and consumer advocates to independently replicate the results and would ensure accountability over the accuracy of the labels. We believe that in addition to providing the labels to the consumer at the point of sale, the FCC should ensure that access to labels and the underlying data is available to consumer advocates, researchers, local leaders, and others with an interest in providing more transparency around broadband offerings.

[The National Broadband Mapping Coalition is a cross-disciplinary group of technologists, network analysts, community advocates, and others, with a focus on broadband mapping and analytics.]