The FCC is about to make your internet bill more confusing again. The agency plans to vote on eliminating a rule that requires ISPs to list every single fee on broadband price labels.
Right now, ISPs have to show you what they call “passthrough fees” — those extra charges beyond the advertised price. Things like “infrastructure fees” or “network enhancement surcharges.” The Biden-era rule forced them to itemize each one on a nutrition-style label.
ISPs hated it. Comcast complained bitterly that listing all their fees was too complex. So the Trump FCC is rolling it back. Instead of itemizing, ISPs can now show a single “up to” amount that covers all passthrough fees. Government fees, pole attachment fees, whatever — lumped together.
That’s not all. ISPs will be allowed to link to price labels instead of displaying them prominently on ordering pages. They can stop providing machine-readable spreadsheets. Phone sales reps can just “summarize” the info instead of reciting it.
The draft order goes to a vote on July 22. If approved, it takes effect 30 days after publication.
For consumers, it means less transparency. The advertised price will look even less like what you actually pay.
