Feed: Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics
Feed Link: https://www.engadget.com/
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Title: Trump's FCC is officially moving to make it easier for internet
companies to charge hidden fees

Date: Fri, 31 Oct 2025 15:50:04 +0000
Link: https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/trumps-fcc-...

The Republican-led FCC has voted on and approved a proposal that would make
it harder for consumers to receive itemized bills with accurate information
from their ISPs, as originally spotted by CNET. This proposal revises
previous "unnecessary" requirements on the grounds that a fact-based list of
charges "may confuse customers."

These changes would minimize the benefit of the so-called "nutrition labels"
which are otherwise known as Broadband Facts labels. You've likely run into
these simple itemized labels when shopping for a broadband plan. They tell
consumers exactly what we are paying for, even if it may "confuse" our
fragile little minds.

The FCC passed a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) on October 28 that
would significantly scale back the Broadband Facts label. ISPs have been
required to publish these labels since April, 2024. All Republican commission
members voted to approve the change, while the lone Democrat dissented.

As previously noted, this is technically just an NPRM. So it's not a done
deal just yet. There will be a final vote in the near future, but it's
expected to pass given the political makeup of the commission.

Once passed, ISPs will no longer be required to read these labels over the
phone to customers, make them available in account portals or give a complete
accounting of fees to customers. The FCC previously stated that these
transparency requirements are "unduly burdensome and provide minimal benefit
to consumers." I happen to think that knowing what I'm shelling $100 out for
each month to be of maximal benefit. Maybe that's just me.

These labels were initially proposed all the way back in 2016, before being
implemented by the Biden administration in 2024. They offer a breakdown of
every little thing that goes into a bill for a service plan, including many
"hidden fees" that ISPs don't include in advertised plan prices.

It's worth noting that the labels will technically still exist, they will
just be harder to find and won't be all that useful. Raza Panjwani, senior
policy counsel at New AmericaΓÇÖs Open Technology Institute, refers to this
as a political "two-step." He told CNET that the modus operandi here is to
make the labels "less useful" and then say "Oh, look, it's not that useful.
We should get rid of it."

Anna Gomez, the only Democrat on the commission, called the proposal "one of
the most anti-consumer items I have seen" and expressed extreme displeasure
with the results of the vote. ΓÇ£What adds insult to injury is that the FCC
does not even explain why this proposal is necessary,ΓÇ¥ she said. ΓÇ£Make it
make sense.ΓÇ¥

Despite claims to the contrary by Brendan Carr and the current FCC, consumers
actually like these labels. A 2024 study of nearly 5,000 broadband customers
found an 85 percent satisfaction rate.

As an aside, Americans pay a lot for internet service when compared to many
other countries throughout the world. We pay around twice as much as
customers in Europe and most of Asia.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-
tech/trumps-fcc-is-officially-moving-to-make-it-easier-for-internet-companies-
to-charge-hidden-fees-155004909.html?src=rss

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