Feeling like you need a PhD in cryptology to understand your internet bill? You're not alone.
In the past couple of years, you might have seen a portion of your Internet bill that looks surprisingly like a Nutrition Facts label on a box of cereal. These Broadband Facts are a new initiative of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) intended to make inscrutable Internet bills easier to understand. They include information including monthly rates, how long introductory rates last, additional charges included in the monthly rate, Internet speeds provided, and more.
Unfortunately, these labels may be easier to read, but they’re not always easy to find–some companies avoid printing them on paper bills. For those who have gone paperless, the Broadband Facts are sometimes hidden on the company’s website. And the labels themselves can be confusing as they’re currently designed, especially when a customer buys Internet, phone, and cable together. It remains to be seen whether proposed rules to streamline the labels will do more to help or hurt consumer protections.
If you’re struggling to understand what you’re paying for now, while we wait for improved billing to arrive, here are some tips to make the best of the broadband payment options we have today.
Tips to Save Money on Monthly Internet Bills
Start with doing your best to understand what’s on your bill. Some Internet service providers (ISPs) are worse than others with the tacked-on fees, including data overage charges, late fees, and equipment rentals. If you’re not sure, check to see if you’re paying a monthly fee to rent your modem and/or router (and if you need a refresher on what those even look like, refer to this Senior Spirit article). Purchasing your own equipment can be a smart financial decision in the long run.
It can also pay to research what’s out there. While ISPs have a reputation for being monopolies, there are usually at least one or two other options for Internet service for U.S. homes. The FCC offers a map where consumers can search by address for ISPs that serve their area. Broadband Now, a company that aims to help consumers find and compare Internet providers, also provides a search tool for every local option.
You’ll also want to calculate how much bandwidth you need, and pay for that tier, not a more expensive one. Broadband Now has a handy bandwidth calculator that will help you determine your needs based on how many devices are likely to be in use at one time, and for what purposes.
Consumer Advocate Paints a Picture of the Broadband Future We All Want
“Imagine what your experience with your internet service provider would be like if our government insisted on well-done consumer transparency,” writes Chayya Kapadia, Chief of Staff at New America's Open Technology Institute. Kapadia and her team advocate for consumers through policies promoting robust broadband labels and more. She paints a picture of what we should expect from the industry:
- You would be able to access a label with minimal clicks on well-labeled links on every provider website.
- Your label would be printed on your bill every month.
- Your internet service provider would proactively mail or email you an annual disclosure of your current service's label, and a notice every time your bill or service changed with the changes clearly marked.
- The label would include color-coded context to help you understand what you can reasonably expect to be able to do with your internet service plan.
- The label would have reliability and downtime information as well as details on how your service might change during peak usage times.
- The label would tell you when and how a provider might degrade service for video or mobile hotspots.
- The label would be available in many languages.
- The label would mention every subsidy program that you might qualify for.
- The FCC’s broadband map—which displays the internet service available at your address—would allow you to click directly to the corresponding labels for the tiers of internet service available at that address, too.
With equitable Internet service as with anything else, we can’t build it until we can dream it. If you’re not getting the transparency you want from your ISP, advocate for yourself–politely but with a clear willingness to cancel if necessary. Getting the change you want, on your own monthly bill or in the broadband industry as a whole, will take persistence.
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