1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,000 These labels aren't just for food anymore. 2 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:06,880 You're now going to see them on internet plans. But why? 3 00:00:06,880 --> 00:00:10,180 Is it too hard to understand here's the price per month 4 00:00:10,180 --> 00:00:14,240 and here's the speed you'll get? Well, it turns out that the answer is actually yes. 5 00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:19,800 The American FCC is requiring ISPs to provide these labels for most internet plans 6 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:24,760 offered to the public starting this month, precisely because between introductory rates 7 00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:28,720 and hidden fees, many consumers find broadband advertising 8 00:00:28,720 --> 00:00:33,040 to be confusing. The goal of the labels is to provide a standardized way 9 00:00:33,040 --> 00:00:36,460 to inform consumers of the true cost of their service 10 00:00:36,460 --> 00:00:42,200 and exactly what they'll be getting instead of allowing ISPs to bury these important details 11 00:00:42,200 --> 00:00:47,000 in the fine print. And although we're mostly used to seeing the analogous nutrition facts labels 12 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:51,000 on actual food packaging, the broadband facts labels 13 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:54,240 have to be displayed both online and in stores 14 00:00:54,240 --> 00:00:58,040 if you're buying internet service that way. I prefer my internet boxed. 15 00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:01,080 Let's take a look at what exactly has to be included. 16 00:01:01,080 --> 00:01:04,620 Up top, you'll see the name of the ISP and the name of the plan. 17 00:01:04,620 --> 00:01:10,040 Just below that, you'll see the monthly price prominently displayed, similarly to how the calorie count 18 00:01:10,040 --> 00:01:14,920 is displayed on a nutrition label. Below this, you'll have a section of gotchas. 19 00:01:14,920 --> 00:01:19,360 You'll see immediately if the monthly price is some kind of introductory promo rate 20 00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:25,800 and if it is, how long the rate is good for and what the new rate will be at the end of the intro period. 21 00:01:25,800 --> 00:01:29,300 If you have to sign a contract, you'll see how long that contract is 22 00:01:29,300 --> 00:01:34,340 and a link to the full terms. Then you'll see another gotchas section 23 00:01:34,340 --> 00:01:38,180 outlining additional charges. Everything from equipment rental fees, 24 00:01:38,180 --> 00:01:43,060 installation fees, taxes, and the penalty for backing out of a contract early. 25 00:01:43,060 --> 00:01:48,100 It would be nice if a total price, including all of that junk, was listed prominently 26 00:01:48,100 --> 00:01:51,500 at the top of the label. But as it is, you'll have to do a little math 27 00:01:51,500 --> 00:01:55,740 to figure out the total damage. You do, however, get a link to any discounts 28 00:01:55,740 --> 00:01:59,220 you're eligible for if you're bundling or using your own equipment. 29 00:01:59,220 --> 00:02:02,740 Now, below all this pricing information, you'll see a section outlining 30 00:02:02,740 --> 00:02:07,060 both the typical download and upload speeds and as a pleasant surprise, 31 00:02:07,060 --> 00:02:10,140 you also get a latency number in milliseconds. 32 00:02:10,140 --> 00:02:13,740 Although most people look more at the raw megabits per second, 33 00:02:13,740 --> 00:02:17,900 latency can be more important if you do lots of online gaming 34 00:02:17,900 --> 00:02:22,700 or if you're frequently making video calls. Unfortunately, the FCC hasn't included 35 00:02:22,700 --> 00:02:27,420 specific requirements on how speeds and latency should be measured. 36 00:02:27,420 --> 00:02:32,700 While the FCC does run a program to help ISPs determine typical speed and latency numbers, 37 00:02:32,700 --> 00:02:36,380 participation isn't a requirement. Hopefully in the future, 38 00:02:36,380 --> 00:02:41,460 there will be a more standardized way to provide these numbers, but given that ISPs like Comcast 39 00:02:41,460 --> 00:02:44,980 are already unhappy about just having to fill out a label, 40 00:02:44,980 --> 00:02:49,180 whether that'll happen is anyone's guess. Anywho, the bottom of the label 41 00:02:49,220 --> 00:02:52,900 also has to include any data caps and overage charges, 42 00:02:52,900 --> 00:02:56,060 a link to the ISPs network management practices, 43 00:02:56,060 --> 00:02:59,300 which is essentially how well they adhere to net neutrality principles, 44 00:02:59,300 --> 00:03:03,340 and a link to their privacy policy and customer support services. 45 00:03:03,340 --> 00:03:07,620 ISP websites are also required to compile all of their labels 46 00:03:07,620 --> 00:03:10,740 into a publicly available spreadsheet, which could be useful 47 00:03:10,740 --> 00:03:14,220 if you want to quickly compare plans. And in case you were wondering, 48 00:03:14,220 --> 00:03:17,780 if you're one of those people who signs up for internet service over the phone, 49 00:03:17,780 --> 00:03:22,180 the person on the other end is required to read the entire label to you. 50 00:03:22,180 --> 00:03:26,700 Oh boy, you wanna get a snack. Of course, there was some griping from ISPs 51 00:03:26,700 --> 00:03:30,300 about how much time and energy it would take to create these labels, 52 00:03:30,300 --> 00:03:35,140 but given how much money ISPs spend on designing and sending out junk mail, 53 00:03:35,140 --> 00:03:39,340 it's hard for me to feel too bad for them. But I feel good about the fact 54 00:03:39,340 --> 00:03:42,460 that you watched this whole video. Thanks, like the video if you liked it, 55 00:03:42,460 --> 00:03:46,540 dislike it if you disliked it, check out our other videos, comment below with video suggestions. 56 00:03:46,540 --> 00:03:50,860 Don't forget to subscribe and follow so you can see more of this, 57 00:03:50,860 --> 00:03:54,500 what I'm doing right now. Pretty cool.