FCC Reminds ISPs To Be Truthful About Services Offered To Customers

In the wake of Comcast's nightmare customer service call that went viral last week, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission is reminding all Internet service providers to be truthful about their services.

An advisory issued by the FCC on Wednesday, was sent out to broadband providers such as Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) and Comcast Corp. (NASDAQ:CMCSA) as a reminder to provide accurate information about the services they offer to their customers.

Broadband providers are required to provide accurate and publicly accessible information about the services they provide in accordance with the “Open Internet Transparency Rule,” which was enacted by the commission in 2011.

The rule covers public disclosures by ISPs, which include service descriptions, expected and actual broad band speeds, pricing, usage-fees and performance information.

According to the FCC, the agency continually monitors how well broadband providers disclose the require information regarding broadband speeds, pricing and other information.

“The FCC monitors how well providers disclose the broadband speed they give consumers, and at what price, and is concerned about providers who make false, misleading or deceptive statements to consumers about the services they provide,” the FCC said.

Following the notice, FCC chairman Tom Wheeler issued a statement, reminding broadband providers to be transparent and truthful about their services:

“Consumers deserve to get the broadband service they pay for. After today, no broadband provider can claim they didn’t know we were watching to see that they disclose accurate information about the services they provide. The FCC’s transparency rule requires that consumers get the information they need to make informed choices about the broadband services they purchase. We expect providers to be fully transparent about the details of their services, and we will hold them accountable if they fall down on this obligation to consumers.”

The notice by the FCC was issued a week after Comcast came under scathing criticism for a nightmare customer service call that went viral, where the Comcast representative claimed the ISP had the “fastest Internet in the country" in an attempt to retain a customer.