How to Read an FCC Broadband Label Before You Sign Up

You're choosing between two internet plans. One ad says "fast," the other says "fastest." Neither tells you what you'll pay once the promo price runs out or whether video calls will lag. The Broadband Facts label is where providers have to put those answers in a fixed format. Here is how to read it, line by line.

What the label is and which plans need one

The FCC compares broadband labels to the nutrition labels on food. Every provider must create and display an accurate label for each stand-alone internet plan it currently sells. That covers home (fixed) internet and mobile broadband plans.

Large providers had to show labels at every point of sale by April 10, 2024. Providers with fewer than 100,000 subscribers had until October 10, 2024. So if you can't find one today, that is a problem, not a grace period.

Where you should see it

Points of sale include the provider's website, its own stores, third-party retailers and phone sales. Online, the label has to sit close to the plan it describes. It must be on the main page listing the plans for your address, once you've entered it.

Under the rules in force today, a link or a thumbnail icon in place of the label does not satisfy FCC rules. If you already subscribe and your provider has an online account portal, your plan's label must be easy to find there. The label must also come in English and in any other language the provider uses to market the service in the US.

Monthly price, promo rate and contract

The top of the label shows, at a minimum, the base monthly price for the stand-alone internet plan. If that price is an introductory rate, the label must also show the rate you'll pay once the promo ends. Read that second number twice, because once the promo ends it is the price you'll actually be living with, month after month, until you switch or renegotiate.

If the price depends on signing a contract, the label must show the contract length. The price is also the retail price, before discounts such as autopay or paperless billing. Providers can link to a page that explains those discounts, so a deal that only works with autopay should show up there, not in the headline price.

Fees, taxes and the cost of leaving

Recurring monthly fees must be itemized, and the label must state that government taxes will be added. Taxes themselves aren't listed, because they vary by location. So the label price is not an all-in number. Budget above it.

One-time fees get their own lines: buying a modem, gateway or router, activation, deposits, installation and late payment. If the early termination fee shrinks over time, the label can say so and show the maximum.

Typical speeds and latency

The performance block must show typical download speed, typical upload speed and typical latency. "Typical" is a measured figure, not the "up to" number from the ad.

Where do the numbers come from? Fixed providers in the FCC's Measuring Broadband America program may use those test results for a speed tier. Others may use internal testing, consumer speed-test data or reliable third-party data. The FCC did not require the figures to reflect peak hours. So the label makes no promise about the evening rush, and that matters if your best time to call abroad falls after dinner.

Don't skip latency. The FCC said people who use video conferencing may find it especially useful when picking a plan. The same goes for VoIP phone service and calling family abroad over the internet. Lower is better. Upload speed matters for the same reason: it carries your voice and camera.

Data caps, network management and privacy

If a plan has a data allowance, the label must disclose any charges or service reductions once you go over it. Look for the price per extra block of data, or a line saying speeds drop.

Network management practices and the privacy policy are links on the label. The FCC chose not to put detailed blocking, throttling or paid-prioritization information on the label itself. Open them for the details.

How to compare two plans

1. Write down the post-promo price and the contract length for each plan.
2. Add the recurring fees, and remember taxes come on top.
3. List one-time costs, including the maximum early termination fee.
4. Compare typical upload and latency before download if you work from home or call a lot.
5. Check the data allowance line.

Keep a screenshot of each label you compare. It is your record of what was offered.

What changed in 2026, and what hasn't taken effect

The FCC adopted an order revising the label rules on July 22, 2026, and released it July 23. It took effect September 14, 2026, except the changes to section 8.1(a) of the rules. Those are delayed indefinitely, until the FCC announces an effective date in the Federal Register.

The only part already in effect adds a definition. A passthrough fee is a monthly charge imposed by a government entity or a third-party infrastructure owner, billed separately by the provider and varying by location.

When the delayed part takes effect, providers may:

• show a link or icon next to a plan instead of the full label
• show passthrough fees as a total, either an "up to" maximum or the exact amount for your area
• summarize key fields out loud on phone sales calls instead of reading the label: price with fees, any promo rate and its length, typical speeds, latency, data allowance, contract length and early termination fees

The order also removes the Affordable Connectivity Program line, since that program ended June 1, 2024. It drops the machine-readable data file and the two-year label archive. The language rule stays.

Missing or wrong label: how to report it

Screenshot the plan page, the label (or the spot where it should be) and anything that conflicts with it, such as a checkout price. Note the date. For a phone sale, write down what the rep told you, including the price, the speeds and any fee they mentioned, since there is no screen to capture.

Then file an informal complaint about the label with the FCC online. The FCC monitors label complaints, and providers that break the rules can face investigation and enforcement.

Already a customer and need the label for a plan that's no longer sold? Under the current rule, the provider must send you the archived label within 30 days of your request. Ask while that requirement is still in effect.

FAQ

Does the label price include taxes and fees?

No single all-in number. Monthly fees are itemized, and the label only says taxes apply and vary by location.

What does "typical download speed" mean?

It's the provider's measured typical performance, based on FCC program results, internal tests, speed-test data or reliable third-party data.

Do broadband labels show data caps?

Yes. They must disclose charges or service reductions when you exceed the plan's allowance.

For the calling side of your setup, see the international calling guide.

Sources

1. Federal Communications Commission: Consumer Fact Sheet: Broadband Consumer Label Required for Most Internet Service Providers (accessed 2026-09-24)
2. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (FCC rules): 47 CFR 8.1 - Transparency (accessed 2026-09-24)
3. FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau: Broadband Providers Must Prominently Display Accurate Labels for Broadband Services at All Points of Sale (DA 24-1276) (accessed 2026-09-24)
4. Federal Communications Commission, via the Federal Register: Empowering Broadband Consumers Through Transparency, final rule (87 FR 76959, December 16, 2022) (accessed 2026-09-24)
5. Federal Communications Commission, via the Federal Register: Empowering Broadband Consumers Through Transparency, final rule (91 FR 52251, August 13, 2026) (accessed 2026-09-24)