Empowering Broadband Consumers Through Transparency

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) addresses three petitions requesting that the Commission clarify and/or reconsider certain of its broadband consumer label requirements. Specifically, we affirm our determinations that providers must itemize monthly discretionary fees on the label and state how much data is provided with the service plan, as outlined by the label template. We also clarify that E-Rate and Rural Health Care (RHC) Program service providers are not required to include a broadband label for enterprise and special access services provided through those programs. In addition, we revise the Commission's requirement to document each instance when a provider directs a consumer to a label at an alternative sales channel and to retain such documentation for two years. And we make clear that providers that opt to include government taxes in their monthly base price may state on the label that government taxes are included. Our actions preserve consumer access to clear, easy-to-understand, and accurate information about the cost for broadband services and will empower consumers to choose services that best meet their needs and match their budgets.