You may have noticed a new label on some marketing materials, advertisements and websites for broadband internet services that looks a lot like the nutrition labels you see at the grocery store. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has mandated these consumer-friendly broadband facts labels, which are easy-to-read statements of basic information about available internet services.
What is the purpose of the broadband facts labels?
Like other labels the government requires for goods and services (including food ingredients, nutritional facts and over-the-counter medication), the new broadband facts label provides the essential information you need before choosing a service provider. Most importantly, they make it easier for you to compare competing internet service offerings.
What information will be displayed on the new labels?
The labels contain the most important information about internet service. By glancing at the new labels, you’ll more easily see distinctions between various services and plans, such as the price of monthly services, fees and the internet speeds offered.
The broadband facts label includes the following detailed information:
- The company name of the broadband internet service provider.
- Price per month.
- Any introductory pricing details, including how long it lasts and the rate after it ends.
- When the monthly price requires a contract and what the terms and duration of the contract are.
- Additional monthly fees, costs and an itemized list of each of them (e.g., required equipment rentals).
- Any one-time fees at the start of service (e.g., installation fees, administrative fees, etc.).
- Any early cancellation fees.
- Taxes (which will depend on local and state laws).
- Any discounts, including bundled service discounts (i.e., whether combining contracts for other services, like landline telephone, lowers the monthly costs of broadband service).
- Typical download speeds, upload speeds and latency.
- Data information, including whether there’s any data cap and the price for any additional data exceeding that cap.
- Links to network management (e.g., content blocking), company privacy policies and customer support contact information.
What broadband-specific terms on the labels do I need to understand?
Most of the terms on the label are easily understood, but some of the more techy-sounding terms might need some explanation.
- Typical Download Speed: How fast you can receive data from the internet for things like browsing and streaming videos.
- Typical Upload Speed: How fast you can send data to the internet for posting photos and video calls, to name a few.
- Typical Latency: How long it takes for data to travel between your device and the internet. Lower numbers are better, especially for gaming.
How will the information be presented—and why does that matter to me?
Providers must present the information in a standardized way. That means all labels will be nearly identical to make it easier for consumers to compare services and pricing from different companies.
The labels are particularly valuable to people who have recently moved into a new area and those considering upgrading to better internet. They help make the benefits of improved, faster broadband—like OEC Fiber—even more apparent.
At OEC Fiber we’re proud to offer the fastest, most reliable internet you can get at a fair and reasonable price. We’re confident that the broadband facts labels will make that even more transparent in the days and months ahead. Our goal has always been to be clear and transparent with our subscribers. These new labels take what we are doing one step further and allow you to see how we stack up to the competition for yourself.
