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Communications The Internet United States

Consumers Will Finally See FCC-Mandated 'Nutrition Labels' For Most Broadband Plans (theverge.com) 56

Posted by msmash from the ticket-closed dept.
It appears that a nearly eight-year-long battle by the FCC to require internet companies to display information on the costs, fees, and speeds of their broadband services is finally over. From a report: Starting on Wednesday, all but the smallest ISPs will be required to publish broadband "nutrition labels" on all of their plans, the regulator announced. [...] Each label will include monthly broadband prices, introductory rate details, data allowances, broadband speeds, and links to find out about any available discounts or service bundles. Links to network management practices and privacy policies should be listed as well.
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Consumers Will Finally See FCC-Mandated 'Nutrition Labels' For Most Broadband Plans More

Consumers Will Finally See FCC-Mandated 'Nutrition Labels' For Most Broadband Plans

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  • Broadband companies will also be providing an informative Data Pyramid

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by cpurdy ( 4838085 )
      Does this mean that Ajit Pai has to give back the huge bribes he received from the telcos?

  • what does it taste like?

  • ...because food labels suck. "Serving size" is a nearly useless unit to compare different foods because the serving sizes between food types varies. They should have ratio's (or percent) by two categories: per total calories and per weight.

    • Re:I hope they're *better* than food labels (Score:5, Funny)

      by VampireByte ( 447578 ) on Wednesday April 10, 2024 @11:32AM (#64383444) Homepage

      I wonder if the label is going to be on each packet

    • I don't necessarily disagree that serving size is a useless unit, but that's also why they put actual numbers right underneath it defining what a "serving" is.
    • They have to list 'servings per container' and 'package weight or quantity', is it that hard to do some simple math?

      • They have to list 'servings per container' and 'package weight or quantity', is it that hard to do some simple math?

        Serves four, provided three aren't very hungry.

      • So you want to buy X huh? You better be prepared to look at an array of options, some with unit prices that don't even quantity the same thing. Selections include dollars per ounce, cents per item, dollars per linear foot, cents per cup, etc.

        Figure out the best bang for your buck with that. Now do that for 100 things per visit to your local supermarket.
        • I completely ignore those unit prices pasted on the shelf, I take the price and divide by size and do the same with the other product. The problem is it seems fewer and fewer people can do simple 'approximation math' to compare things. Do people today even know how to ballpark how much their cart costs, or do they just swipe the magic plastic card without giving a care?

          I guess if people cared inflation wouldn't be running wild since they would actually buy less of the price inflated things.
          • Where I live, I see "sizes" for the same item in pounds, grams, and ounces...but not kilograms for some reason...I'm tired or having to figure out whether buying 4 packages of X is cheaper or more expensive than the "value" size container. It's often the case when I do the math, that the value pack is a lower value. Its the sheer disingenuousness of marking something as a "value," and then raking in those extra dollars from anyone that falls for it that infuriates me.

            It's like staggering into something m
    • You said, "The serving sizes are useless, they should have" then go on to directly describe serving sizes.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by Tablizer ( 95088 )

        No. Ratio to weight and ratio to calories is not arbitrary, like "serving size". The ratios still mean mostly the same thing across food types, unlike "serving size".

        • Either way, this still sounds like a problem everyone just solves by cross multiplication anyway. As much as I, too, sometimes wish Purina Bachelor Chow existed, it doesn't.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by sjames ( 1099 )

      Also you get ludicrous serving sizes to make the numbers look better. Who eats half a cookie?

  • There are junk fees (Score:5, Informative)

    by kingbilly ( 993754 ) on Wednesday April 10, 2024 @11:33AM (#64383446)
    And then there are REALLY junk fees.
    I get adding regulatory compliance fees as a line item.

    What I don't like is getting a card in the mail that says ISP offering 100 Mbps for 24.99 a month, and then getting hit with a $5.00 Network Access Fee. Network access fee? The entire fucking point of an internet connection is to access the network. That's like ordering a pizza then getting hit with a bread, sauce, and cheese surcharge. That shit needs to be built into the price so we can make a fair comparison, because it's literally The Product.

    • also forced hardware rent and part forced rent need to go.

      In some areas / with some plans or add ones you must rent the ISP hardware at an added cost.
      also with Comcast unlimited costs less to rent their hardware + with unlimited vs getting your own hardware and adding unlimited.

      • Actual conversation with Comcast years ago:

        "Hi, I need to move my internet because I'm moving apartments."

        "Ok, we'll move your service over and schedule you for a tech to come install your service. Does [date] work for you?"

        "Oh I don't need installation. I have my own modem and router, and I've already made sure that the jacks in the new apartment have signal."

        "Oh, well installation is required for all new and moved service. Just to be sure. There's a $25 fee for this, and the technician has to

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Pascoea ( 968200 )

          Oh, well installation is required for all new and moved service. Just to be sure. There's a $25 fee for this, and the technician has to install our gateway.

          "Ok, that's fine. Who can I speak with to cancel my service?"

          • I DID use the threat to cancel at one point when they tried to jack up my price from the 'introductory rate' which over that year had become the normal non-introductory rate, to like $100/mo more. They were really pushing back and trying to send me to retention specialists and all that and I just kept saying "No, if that's the price I need to cancel".

            After about an hour of arguing with them (which I shouldn't have fucking had to do) they were like "Oh, we could just offer you the introductory rate as you

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by Pascoea ( 968200 )

              I actually didn't mind Comcast/Xfinity from a service perspective, it was rarely down and always hit the advertised speeds. But I would agree with your assessment of their customer service. An absolute nightmare if you had to fix something from a billing or service perspective. And the annual call to extend my "introductory rate" was always a good time. The final nail in their coffin was the data cap. I went over one month, and their "threat" to charge me an EXTRA $200 if I did it again was enough for

              • it was rarely down and always hit the advertised speeds

                That's been my experience as well, outside account management. The product is not the problem, the people at the top are.

    • Yeah the junior exec who came up with that idea got promoted post haste

      "You see the power company charges an access fee because customers are billed for usage. Now get this, what if we charge a flat rate but still add on that access fee"

      "Simmonds, you're a goddamned genius, that Harvard MBA really paid off"

    • Just look at the details of your electric bill and try to make sense of it. Clearly, some wordsmith spent hours trying to come up with the most opaque terms for things.
      What it boils down to is that you can't truly know how much money you're going to save by buying more energy-efficient devices. Oh, and when the beloved EPA mandates something, you, dear customer, get hit with the fees to pay for it.

    • I get adding regulatory compliance fees as a line item.

      Not me. Almost every industry has regulatory compliance costs. Trucking companies have to comply with costly vehicle inspections. Restaurants have to comply with costly hand-washing and hair nets. Cost of doing business should be cost of doing business and included. Adding a line item saying "a big portion of your bill is because of nasty government" is petty at best.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by mjwx ( 966435 )

      And then there are REALLY junk fees.
      I get adding regulatory compliance fees as a line item.

      What I don't like is getting a card in the mail that says ISP offering 100 Mbps for 24.99 a month, and then getting hit with a $5.00 Network Access Fee. Network access fee? The entire fucking point of an internet connection is to access the network. That's like ordering a pizza then getting hit with a bread, sauce, and cheese surcharge. That shit needs to be built into the price so we can make a fair comparison, because it's literally The Product.

      The problem the US has is that you're legally permitted to do this.

      Having a "warning label" won't change this one iota, your country needs to do what all other developed nations and most developing ones, where if you advertise a price that product must be purchasable for that price with no extra mandatory fees or charges. If a telco in the UK or Australia advertises 100mbps for 25 per month, then that must be purchasable for that price. Additional fees and surcharges must already be included in the adver

  • FDA nutrition labels lie. For example they only have to state contents to one significant digit, and they can always round down when it is in their favor. Don't expect any greater honesty from broadband labels. Also, Federal appliance energy labels lie, EPA gas mileage labels lie. Welcome to Amerika!

    • Rounding errors are a lie? You set your standards way too high. So, the WHOLE label is a lie so we should just get rid of them? (FYI, Industry wouldn't have fought like hell to PREVENT food labels if they were useless. Yes, they fought it back in the day; although, if it were today, I don't think it would pass into law.)

      So what do you do about billing? refuse to pay the 1 cent everybody is defrauding you with by rounding up? (many always round up) or refuse to sales taxes because they not only round up b

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Vrallis ( 33290 )

        This FDA complaint is relevant to something like "sugar-free" gum. A piece of gum can be pure sugar, but because each piece is less than a gram they get to round it down and claim it's zero. Not arguing the benefits of some diets, but when you're counting every gram for dietary reasons all of those "less than ones" add up quickly.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by sjames ( 1099 )

        Yes, rounding errors are a lie. That's how a candy that's made of sugar and flavoring gets away with claiming zero grams of sugar.

        Does that not sound a bit like a lie?

  • Do we get the fantasy that I pay for, 1000 Mbps, or the measured download that I get that has never exceeded 80 Mbps? Will the FCC provide consequences for such fantasies?

  • Major broadband providers have fought vigorously over the years to kill the rule, arguing that such labels would be too costly and complicated to implement.

    If it's 'too complicated', that seems like more of a 'you' issue than an 'us' issue. But the real issue for them is that they will actually have to tell you up front the price for things. My favorite is the 'intro price', but it is somewhere between difficult and impossible to find out what the price is AFTER the introductory price. And fees. Oh, the fees, that they will bill you down to the penny each and every month but, gosh darn it, they have no idea what they are when you are shopping for service.

  • With my ISP you have no choice but to rent their router. Even if you put in a box and never use it, you have to pay $7.99 a month to them. That's some bullshit right there. No option to return it or turn off the fee.

  • Cell phone plans across carriers should allow for an apples to apples comparison of prices and features. Same for home internet and TV plans.

    https://theconversation.com/co... [theconversation.com]

  • Thanks to intense lobbying, the "nutrition label" fees will all still be listed in grams instead of dollars and cents.

  • In most communities, the local cable provider has a virtual monopoly on the ISP business. You take what they give you.
  • Now I will know how much carbs and sugar is in my cable modem and wifi. :rolleyes:

  • My ISP has always had such. 100Gig, unlimited data, 9 milliseconds latency, typical packet loss .0095%, no contract, no fitlering/blocking, taxes and fees all included in the price.

  • data allowances

    Oh, you mean the thing that if an ISP has it I won't use their service?

    Neat.

  • Not sure how much accurate pricing matters when many areas (including my own) have no real competition for Internet. If you had 2-3 providers to choose from, pricing nutrition labels would be helpful, but right now it's really just:
    Me: How much is my Internet?
    Comcast: We don't know, check your bill
    Me: The bill says $(all your money)
    Comcast: That's about right
    Me: Ok, thanks.

  • I just looked up the label for my provider (Midco). The info is there, but it is not formatted in any way like the Nutrition Labels" it is named to imitate. The info is presented as a long list of details for all plans together, with oversized bullet-point headings. It's difficult to see where one plan's info ends and another begins, and I'm trying to figure out if the plans below the one I am on are restricted to customers on federal programs or available to anyone. When I go to their site and look up plan

  • ... monthly broadband prices ...

    Umm, what are ISPs advertising now? Not the monthly price obviously so what is it? Without a law regulating what an ISP service is, nothing will change. Without the FCC auditing the adverts, nothing will change. Without truth-in-advertising laws, nothing will change.

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