If your internet service provider (ISP) charges you extra for exceeding your data limit, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) wants to know about it.
Last week, the FCC announced that it is studying the impact of data caps on consumers’ broadband access. If you’re not familiar, many ISPs set data limits for customers. Use more data than the specified limit and you could be subject to a hard limit, which means an additional fee, or a soft limit, which means slower service. Some providers have no limits at all, some have no limits on paid add-ons, and some are limited to only certain parts of the country.
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Until earlier this year, warnings about data limits were often buried in piles of legal documents; meaning customers are often unaware these limits exist. That’s why the FCC requires ISPs to provide “Nutrition label“clearly presents key package information, associated fees, and usage limits in the form of labels you see on food packaging.
The FCC is currently collecting information about data caps to determine how common they are, which companies use them, how they impact customers, and how companies notify customers about data caps. materials and their effects.
If you’re not sure whether your provider has a data limit, you can check out this list on Broadband Now, the ISP’s coverage database. As of the first week of October, there were more than 110 suppliers on this list. Some of the biggest names — like Spectrum and Verizon — don’t have data caps. AT&T, Cox, and Xfinity all have unlimited data as additional options.
You can share your experience with data limits by visiting FCC Consumer Inquiries and Complaints Center. If you allow, the FCC may share your story on its website, and your story may become part of the record that shapes the commission’s rulemaking process. More than 600 complaints have been resolved shared so far.
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The FCC has not yet announced any type of regulatory action. This request is the first “we’re watching you” message to Internet service providers. If these providers cannot justify data caps, the FCC could intervene.
