Fixed Broadband Providers Should Adopt 'Voluntary Code of Conduct,' Eshoo Says
Fixed broadband providers need to “proactively adopt a voluntary code of conduct just as mobile providers have done,” said House Communications Subcommittee ranking member Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., in a statement Tuesday, citing the findings from a GAO report on broadband…
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data caps. Eshoo held a briefing on GAO’s initial findings earlier this year (see 1407300047). Such a voluntary code “will improve consumer experience and ensure a more vibrant online marketplace,” Eshoo said. “The FCC should also make better use of the data it is collecting on data caps to understand how best to inform consumers and promote the public interest.” GAO recommended that fixed providers focus such a code on communications with consumers and that the FCC help track and better utilize data. The “FCC said it will monitor complaints and provider plans to determine if a more proactive approach is needed,” GAO said in the 41-page report released Tuesday on an audit done over the past year. “GAO continues to believe that better communication is warranted. FCC agreed to use existing data to analyze UBP [usage-based pricing] issues.” GAO looked at the top 13 fixed and mobile ISPs, noting that mobile providers employ UBP more often than fixed. GAO found seven of the biggest 13 fixed providers used UBP and that their consumer education could be “confusing.” GAO said it held eight focus groups. “The potential effects of UBP are uncertain and could depend on competition among providers,” GAO said. It cited FCC officials who called the volume of complaints about fixed provider UBP “relatively low” when looking at all broadband service complaints but said that may not capture the whole picture. The GAO report shows that “today’s data caps work against the best interests of consumers and the growth of the internet,” said Public Knowledge Vice President Michael Weinberg in a statement. He urged the FCC to “move quickly to adopt strong Open Internet rules that prevent all types of discrimination, including discrimination instigated by data caps.”