ISPs responded to broadband price‑label rules by multiplying discretionary line‑item fees, making full disclosure unwieldy. The FCC is now proposing to remove fee itemization, weakening a tool meant to stop misleadingly low advertised prices. This illustrates how disclosure‑only policies can be gamed by strategic complexity.
— It highlights the limits of transparency mandates and the risk of regulatory capture in consumer markets, informing how policymakers design effective, enforceable protections.
BeauHD
2026.01.15
62% relevant
The Gothamist/NYC report documents deliberate interface choices and explanatory messaging ('prices set by an algorithm using your personal data') that obscure costs and shift burdens; this is conceptually similar to how firms game disclosure rules (e.g., itemized fees) — both are examples of design‑level tactics that defeat consumer transparency and redistribute costs.
msmash
2025.10.14
70% relevant
The article shows California moving beyond disclosure‑only fixes by capping early termination fees at 30% and banning buried disclosures—an example of shifting from easily gamed transparency to structural limits on junk‑fee tactics in subscriptions and installment plans.
msmash
2025.10.09
100% relevant
FCC Chair Brendan Carr scheduled an NPRM to eliminate fee itemization from broadband labels after cable/telecom lobbying and one year after the rule took effect.
← Back to All Ideas