What is the FCC broadband label?
The broadband consumer label is a standardized disclosure, modeled on a nutrition label, that the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act directed the FCC to require. The FCC adopted it in its 2022 Broadband Label Order. Providers with more than 100,000 subscribers had to comply by April 10, 2024; smaller providers by October 10, 2024. Those deadlines have passed, so every provider of mass-market broadband internet access is now subject to the rules.
It applies to each stand-alone broadband plan you currently offer for purchase, fixed or mobile. Service offerings customized for a customer through individually negotiated agreements are not “mass-market” and fall outside it.
What must the label show?
The label follows the FCC's fixed or mobile template. Its content covers:
| Area | What the label discloses |
|---|---|
| Price | Monthly price; any introductory rate and how long it lasts |
| Fees | One-time fees at purchase, monthly provider fees not included in the price, early termination fee |
| Terms | Contract length |
| Performance | Typical download speed, typical upload speed and typical latency |
| Data | Data allowance and any overage charges |
| Policies | Links to network management and privacy policies; information on discounts and bundles |
| Support | Customer support contact information and the FCC's consumer resources link |
| Identifier | A unique identifier for the label |
Labels must be accessible to people with disabilities and displayed in English and in any other language in which you market the service. The July 2026 order kept both requirements.
Where must ISPs display the label?
- At every point of sale. That means your website, in close proximity to the plan being advertised, and alternate sales channels: your own stores, third-party retailers and phone sales. Point of sale also covers the moment a consumer starts comparing plans available at their location.
- In the customer's online account portal, if you offer one, showing the label for the plan the customer is on.
- In the languages you market in, and accessible to consumers with disabilities.
For alternate sales channels, providers must document when they direct a consumer to a label, or instead document the business processes and training they use to distribute labels through those channels, retain that material for two years, and provide it to the FCC on request within 30 days.
What did the July 2026 order change?
On July 22, 2026 the FCC adopted a Report and Order (FCC 26-48) that eliminates or modifies several label requirements. Once in effect, it will:
- 1.Let phone sales representatives summarize key fields conversationally — monthly price with fees, any introductory rate and duration, typical speeds, latency, data allowance, contract term and early termination fee — instead of reading the label verbatim.
- 2.Let providers show passthrough fees (government or third-party charges that vary by location) as an aggregate maximum or exact total instead of itemizing each one.
- 3.Remove the Affordable Connectivity Program disclosure; the program ended June 1, 2024.
- 4.Allow a clearly identified link or icon that opens the label, instead of the full label, at the point of sale and in account portals.
- 5.Eliminate the machine-readable data file requirement.
- 6.Eliminate the requirement to archive retired labels for two years.
Timing matters. The order was published on August 13, 2026 with an effective date of September 14, 2026 for a definitional change only; the substantive changes to the label rules are delayed indefinitely until the FCC publishes a notice announcing their effective date. Until then, keep complying with the current rules, including machine-readable files and archiving.
How do you check your labels are compliant?
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
Every stand-alone plan you sell has a current label The obligation is per plan offered for purchase. | The obligation is per plan offered for purchase. |
Prices and fees on the label match what you bill Labels must be accurate; mismatches are what consumers notice first. | Labels must be accurate; mismatches are what consumers notice first. |
Typical speeds and latency reflect your network today Performance fields are what consumers compare. | Performance fields are what consumers compare. |
The label sits next to each plan on your website Display must be in close proximity to the advertised plan. | Display must be in close proximity to the advertised plan. |
Customers see their own plan's label in the portal Portals must show the current plan's label. | Portals must show the current plan's label. |
Phone and retail teams know how to direct buyers to labels Alternate sales channels need documented practices. | Alternate sales channels need documented practices. |
Machine-readable files and label archives are maintained Still required until the July 2026 changes take effect. | Still required until the July 2026 changes take effect. |
Labels exist in every language you market in The multilingual requirement was retained. | The multilingual requirement was retained. |
Where does Inerxia fit?
Inerxia does not generate FCC labels. What keeps them accurate is that the plans, prices, fees and provisioned speeds live in one subscriber record, so the label, the invoice and the plan a subscriber is actually on come from the same source. Our ISP glossary covers the related terms, from USF to E911.
Sources
Checked September 24, 2026. Not legal advice; confirm your label obligations with telecom counsel and watch for the FCC notice making the July 2026 changes effective.