The US Federal Communications Commission, under its Republican leadership, is proposing to weaken a Biden-era transparency rule that requires internet service providers to display "broadband nutrition labels" itemising the fees customers will pay. The most significant change would remove the obligation to list all "passthrough fees" — extra charges stemming from government agencies and third-party infrastructure suppliers — allowing providers instead to show these as a single aggregate figure. This matters because it could make it considerably harder for consumers to see the true cost of their broadband service and to compare providers accurately.

The FCC justifies the move by arguing that excessive itemisation causes "cognitive burdens" and confuses consumers, though critics note the changes align closely with the wishes of the telecoms industry, which spent over $114 million on lobbying in 2025. Under the proposal, ISPs could show fees as an "up to" maximum or a location-specific total rather than an accurate itemised list, present label information "conversationally" over the phone, hide labels behind a hyperlink rather than on the order page, and stop keeping labels in machine-readable form or archived for two years. Industry group USTelecom welcomed the plan, while public interest bodies including the National Digital Inclusion Alliance and the National Consumer Law Center warned it would worsen hidden charges and widen the digital divide. The FCC will vote on 22 July, with any changes taking effect 30 days after publication in the Federal Register.