FCC Proposes Changes to Broadband Fee Transparency Rules

FCC Seeks to Modify Broadband Transparency Requirements

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on October 7th, 2025. The proposal aims to modify rules that require internet service providers (ISPs) to clearly itemize all fees on customer bills. These rules, introduced in April 2024, intended to help consumers better understand charges and compare broadband options.

Proposal Said to Streamline Billing Requirements

According to this FCC proposal, “The Commission proposes to eliminate six requirements from its broadband label rules and seeks comment on other ways it might streamline the requirements… The proposed changes would better align the requirements with the mandate from Congress and reduce unnecessary compliance burdens while preserving the core information that helps consumers compare different broadband plans.”

Key Elements of the Proposed Rule Changes

The FCC’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking outlines potential modifications to broadband fee transparency requirements, including:

• Eliminating certain labeling obligations, such as reading the fee label to customers over the phone, itemizing location-specific state and local passthrough fees, and displaying labels in customer account portals.
• Removing requirements to provide information about the concluded Affordable Connectivity Program, make labels machine-readable, or archive labels for two years after discontinuation of a service.
• Seeking public comment on whether to remove the multilingual display requirement and further streamline and eliminate any other labeling obligations considered “unduly burdensome and provide minimal benefit to consumers”.
• Seeking public comment on minor revisions to the existing label template and removal of the template from the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).

Next Steps

Members of the public can submit feedback on the proposal before a scheduled vote on October 28th, 2025. The FCC plans to review input before finalizing any changes to the current rules.