The National Broadband Mapping Coalition, a cross-disciplinary group of network analysts, policy experts, digital inclusion advocates, and technologists, submitted comments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regarding its Proposed Rule for Empowering Broadband Consumers Through Transparency.
The rule, which was proposed on January 6, 2022, would require Internet service providers (ISPs) to display standardized labels with information on pricing, including introductory rates, broadband speeds, data caps, and more to consumers at the point of sale.
“It’s encouraging to see this step to require ISPs to provide consumers with more transparency into the broadband service that they rely on every day,” says Dustin Loup, the Coalition’s Program Manager. “But we need to make sure that the content and design of these labels will provide the most useful and relevant information—based on verifiable data—to consumers. In our comments, the National Broadband Mapping Coalition offers specific guidelines for ensuring the labels are as clear and valuable as possible.
“Two key barriers consumers face when choosing a service provider is a lack of access to verifiable data, and an insufficient understanding of how different aspects of Internet performance are measured and impacted. Broadband consumer labels could be a significant step towards educating the broader public about how to evaluate and select the best Internet plan for themselves and their families, in addition to providing wider access to performance metrics that will inform the research, policy, and advocacy communities.
“Connectivity is critical; we’re living in a time when Internet access, reliability, and affordability is perhaps more important than it has ever been before. The FCC has the opportunity to significantly impact how consumers advocate for themselves in the market, and we are hopeful the Coalition’s comments provide actionable feedback to make this program effective.”
Read the Coalition’s full comments here.
The Marconi Society is a founding member of the National Broadband Mapping Coalition, and provides fiscal support to the Coalition’s work.
