How to see if your Internet service provider is charging you too much (or offering slower speeds)

ONE The new initiative takes effect today forces internet service providers (ISPs) to break down key information about their plans and associated fees in the form of nutrition labels found on food packaging.

After a protracted battle with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that lasted nearly eight years, broadband service providers must now compile and make transparent key metrics about their plans, covers speeds, data caps, network management methods, and most importantly, recurring fees in a format that’s easy for consumers to understand.

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The FCC has determined that this nutrition label format is one of the most widely recognized by consumers for its clarity and conveying its purpose by design.

Having access to all this information at a glance will certainly make purchasing broadband Internet service easier because never before has there been a single point where consumers can find see a comprehensive (and accurate) list of information about your ISP’s main services and their fees. forward. And certainly not in a format that allows for easy comparison with competitors.

The new “nutrition” label will now be displayed to consumers at the point of sale, with key information about monthly fees, data caps and other charges provided at the outset, rather than being buried in mountains of advertising or legalese.

The industry is notorious for misrepresenting connection speeds by posting speeds that are theoretically optimal but are rarely seen by many consumers, especially in high-demand areas.

Additionally, promotional offers offered by ISPs often offer competitive monthly rates for the first year but increase prices after that, catching consumers off guard and leaving them with few options to opt out while they’re on the move. Sign a service agreement according to the contract.

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Virtually all ISPs doing business across the United States, such as Comcast, Verizon, and Cox, are now subject to the FCC directive, despite their collective efforts to kill the effort before it became a reality. . Industry trade groups and lobbyists have lobbied against it proposal since it was first floatedsaid that providing this information to consumers in advance would be too costly and complicated.

But this effort is part of Biden administration executive order on promoting competition between markets, especially in the telecommunications sector. The order targets ISPs and net neutrality and the right to repair, while also tracking potential technology monopolies.

However, the new labels may still have some flaws that ISPs can fix. The FCC order requires total prices to be transparent but not necessarily itemized. For example:

“A provider who chooses to combine all monthly discretionary charges with a base monthly price may do so and list that total price. In that case, the provider does not need to separately classify the charges That fee is on the label.”

This could open the door for some gaps in how prices are listed or presented in ways that obfuscate their true purpose.

Also: Net neutrality: What it is and why we’re talking about it

Still other consumer advocates criticized the plan for doing too little, too late, saying service transparency is simply the minimum that businesses must provide, and pointing to Other problems cause much bigger problems. The most obvious of these is the problem of regional monopoly ISPs across much of the United States.

Certain areas may have only two — or even one — available ISPs, in which case there is little or no incentive to offer competitive speeds or pricing structures.

Most of the nation’s major ISPs released nutrition labels before today’s official deadline, but small ISPs with fewer than 100,000 lines have until October 10 to do so.