FCC Seeks Advice on Proposed ‘Food Pyramid’ for Broadband

The FCC’s Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau Monday sought comment on the kinds of performance-related information that’s the most useful to consumers when they assess which broadband service to buy. Bureau Chief Joel Gurin told us the notice isn’t focused on the kinds of basic information carriers will eventually be required to offer potential subscribers under the transparency requirements in the net neutrality rules approved in December. Instead, it will offer the public a better perspective on what kind of service they need based on the way they use the Internet, he said.

Many carriers are already doing an improved job of explaining speeds to subscribers, Gurin said. “Many [ISPs] have come out with ways of trying to explain to consumers what a certain number of megabytes per second might mean to them, what kind of speeds they might need if they're doing email, if they're doing video, if they're going gaming,” he said. “Because different providers have been doing this independently, it’s still not that easy for a consumer to look across ISPs and say, ‘I'm looking at all of these with sort of one understanding about what kind of performance speed is going to meet my particular needs.'"

The net neutrality requirements are comparable to nutritional labeling for food, while the public notice is about establishing a food pyramid for broadband, Gurin said. “They're different but complimentary,” he said. The FCC is already paying for tests by SamKnows examining how actual speed relates to advertised speeds and other characteristics of service in thousands of households across the United States.

The public notice asks for comment on the service characteristics consumers need to consider to determine their broadband performance requirements. “Are there specific characteristics -- such as latency, jitter, and peak hour performance -- that may be particularly important to consumers using certain kinds of applications,” the notice asks. The notice seeks comment on the most effective way to ensure that broadband providers inform consumers about their broadband performance needs and the best way to present this information. Comments are due May 26, replies June 16.

Gurin predicted the FCC will likely determine it’s important for consumers to know about a few parameters other than speed to make good decisions. The notice is focused on wireline speeds, but Gurin said the FCC would welcome comments on wireless as well. “Our main focus in performance measurements so far has certainly been on fixed broadband and that’s certainly our strong starting point here,” he said.