It's been 34 years since the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 required businesses to include nutrition labels on food products in the United States. These labels helped let consumers know exactly what and how much they were eating.
The FCC now expects its own „nutrition labeling“ requirements for internet service providers to provide similar transparency when it comes to broadband plan prices.
As of Wednesday, the major ISPs are: Required Clearly display all fees that consumers must pay for their broadband plans. The FCC offered a „nutrition label“-like template that forces companies to be upfront about the total cost of their broadband plans.
Everything listed on the FCC's „Nutrition Label“
The FCC's „nutrition label“ for internet providers will include more than additional monthly fees and surcharges (such as taxes).
![GFiber nutrition label](https://helios-i.mashable.com/imagery/articles/02LHInz0SIkCEvwzYj9ICsr/images-1.fill.size_430x750.v1712766347.png)
![GFiber nutrition label](https://helios-i.mashable.com/imagery/articles/02LHInz0SIkCEvwzYj9ICsr/images-1.fill.size_430x750.v1712766347.png)
An example of the FCC-mandated „nutrition label“ for one of Google's GFiber plans.
Credit: Google
The nutrition label provides details about the total monthly fee, as well as activation fees, early termination fees, and contract length. The nutrition label also discloses whether the listed price is a discounted rate for new customers and the amount the consumer is expected to pay monthly after the introductory price expires.
ISPs must also display rental fees for equipment such as modems and WiFi routers on nutrition labels.
And there's more to FCC nutrition labeling than just price transparency. Businesses must also show consumers all the details of their plans. This includes upload and download speeds, data caps, and the amount that consumers will be charged if exceeded.
Each broadband plan offered by your internet service provider must have its own nutrition label.
ISPs are finally compliant
as The Verge As he points out, ISPs have been trying desperately to block this FCC requirement for nearly a decade. For example, there are some aspects of internet plans that don't need to be included on nutrition labels, such as data throttling and packet loss.
However, one positive change is that ISPs will now be required to offer the aforementioned individual nutrition plans for each plan. Previously, ISPs provided only one long and confusing page with all the information they had to offer.
The FCC under the Biden administration has been more proactive in tackling hidden fees and other „junk“ fees. This nutrition label serves as one of the important ways to help consumers.
Major ISPs were required to comply with nutrition labeling by April 10th. As of now, most companies seem to offer them. Mashable found „nutrition labels“ or „broadband labels“ in the plans offered. verizon, T-mobile, comcastand Google.
Small internet providers with fewer than 100,000 customers must comply with the FCC's new rules on nutrition labeling by October.