Overview
- The FCC has a draft order that would let internet providers combine many variable passthrough fees into one single “up to” monthly amount instead of itemizing each fee.
- The proposal would eliminate the requirement that broadband labels be published in machine-readable form, which currently lets apps and researchers automatically compare plans.
- The draft would also permit providers to link to labels rather than display them directly on ordering pages and account portals, a change the agency says could ease provider burdens.
- Consumer advocates and critics say the changes would reduce price transparency, make bills harder for people to understand, and likely advantage ISPs at customers’ expense.
- If the commission approves the order it could reverse parts of the Biden-era labeling rules, trigger public comment and legal challenges, and affect how third parties build price-comparison tools.