We’ve all had to deal with the cable industry in one form or another: broadband internet, cable TV, and occasionally telephone bills for those of us who still dabble in landline phones for whatever reason. And yet, the longer you use these services, the more odd things that start to creep up: like surprise fees that sneak onto your bill, or odd connections and network management, or latency, and a whole slew of other issues.
So what if, when you want to try out a new service, you were able to use “nutrition labels” or “broadband facts” to see exactly what you were getting into before you pay for your cable bills?
Imagine that the same nutrition labels that come printed on your food’s packaging were used to show consumers exactly what they’re getting into with cable companies and cable bills. Now, thanks to an image uploaded on Imgur, take a look at what one label thing could look like:
According to a press release provided by the FCC (the Federal Communications Commission) broadband labels are being pushed for the sake of “greater transparency.” The document goes on to say:
The Federal Communications Commission today announced new broadband labels to provide consumers of mobile and fixed broadband Internet service with easy-to-understand information about price and performance. These labels should help consumers make informed decisions about the purchase of broadband service.
As said by FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, the labels are being made to provide consumers much needed clarity about their cable bills:
…clarity about the broadband service they are purchasing, not only helping them to make more informed choices but also preventing surprises when the first bill arrives…Customers deserve to know the price they will actually pay for a service and to be fully aware of other components such as data limits and performance factors before they sign up for service.
It’s what Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray
says will allow consumers to “know before they owe”, with “clear, upfront information about prices, risks, and terms of the deal.”
The broadband nutrition labels will include the price of everything from various charges for equipment, early termination and administrative fees, things that may “seem confusing to consumers;” it will include data allowances, and the consequences for exceeding limits, such as additional charges and slower data speeds; and information on performance and overall broadband speed.
So why start now? The document says that the FCC receives more than 2,000 complaints a year about surprise fees, so it’s nice to see action taken to finally resolve issues that have been plaguing cable consumers for years. For far too long cable bills and service have been a mess, and this is a nice, simple step to make things clear for the young and old alike, for the tech literate and illiterate alike.
Will this solve everything? Probably not. John Oliver did a fantastic segment on the cable industry, net neutrality and the politics concerning it all on his show “Last Week Tonight” a few years ago. This segment, which I’ve added below, likened the cable industry to a monopoly owned by the mafia, whose lobbyists can manipulate all outcomes when it comes to actual positive change. Thankfully, it seems some change has finally come about, and this could be the first of many ways to give consumers more control and knowledge over their choices.
And with the increasing need of having the internet in our lives, who doesn’t want more affordable, transparent cable bills?
Source: TechDirt
Image Source: Imgur