What the FCC Broadband Label Must Disclose
Inspired by food nutrition labels, the FCC Broadband Label is a standardized disclosure document every ISP must display prominently on their website for every service plan. Before signing any internet contract, find and check this label. Here is what each section means.
Section 1: Monthly Price
The label must show the full monthly price including all fees — not the promotional introductory price. It must disclose when the promotional period ends and what the price becomes, any installation or equipment fees, and early termination fees. This section eliminates the most common ISP bait-and-switch.
Section 2: Speeds
The label must disclose both "Typical Download Speed" and "Typical Upload Speed" — defined as the 80th percentile of actual customer speeds on that plan. The key word is typical, not maximum. If you see "Up to 1 Gbps" in an ad but the label shows "Typical: 780 Mbps/15 Mbps" — the label is the honest number.
Section 3: Data
Data cap in GB per month, overage charges, and what happens when the cap is reached (throttling speed must be stated). If there is no cap, the label must say "None." This section catches hidden cap policies that many customers discover only on their first overage bill.
Section 4: Network Management
This section must disclose any traffic management practices — including throttling of specific applications or protocols. After the repeal of net neutrality rules, ISPs can legally throttle video streaming — but they must now disclose it on this label. If an ISP's label says they "manage video streaming traffic," they are telling you in advance they throttle Netflix.
Section 5: Privacy
Whether the ISP sells your browsing data, usage information, or network activity to third parties. This section is frequently alarming on reading. Many major ISPs explicitly state they sell aggregate usage data to advertisers.
Where to Actually Find the Label
ISPs are required to display the label at the point of sale — on the specific plan's signup page — not buried in a general terms-of-service document. If you can't locate it easily on a provider's website, that itself is worth noting, since prominent display is part of the FCC requirement.
Using the Label to Compare Plans Fairly
Because every ISP's label follows the same standardized format, it's the one genuinely apples-to-apples comparison tool across providers — more reliable than marketing pages, which use inconsistent language and cherry-picked scenarios to make each plan look best.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the broadband label legally binding, or just informational? The disclosed information must be accurate — providing false information on the label can trigger FCC enforcement action, giving it more weight than a marketing claim, though it's a disclosure requirement rather than a service guarantee.
Comparing Labels Side by Side Before Signing
Since every provider's label uses the same format, saving screenshots of labels from each ISP you're considering for the same address lets you compare typical speed, full price after promotion, and data policy in one view — a faster and more reliable process than cross-referencing separate marketing pages.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do broadband labels apply to mobile/cellular home internet plans? Yes — the FCC requirement covers fixed broadband including 5G home internet and satellite, not just traditional wired ISPs, so Internet Air, T-Mobile Home Internet, and similar products must display one too.