Reps. Veasey, Meng, Ruiz Ask Federal Communications Commission to Make Broadband Consumer Labels Available in Non-English Languages

WASHINGTON – Representatives Marc Veasey (TX-33), Grace Meng (NY-06), Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36), and 26 other members of Congress asked Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel in a letter to consider making broadband consumer labels available in Spanish and Asian and Pacific Island (AAPI) languages such as Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Bengali, and other languages deemed necessary.

"Last year, I was proud to vote for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which requires clear nutrition-label-style information of internet plans and prices. This will ensure consumers have access to clear, accurate, and thorough information about how much they need to pay for essential broadband services," said Representative Marc Veasey (TX-33). "Now, we must ensure households and families that speak all languages can access this critical piece of information. That is why I am proud to lead this letter that urges the Federal Communications Commission to extend the benefits of the broadband label in common non-English languages."

The letter is also signed by Representatives Karen Bass, Sanford Bishop, Tony Cardenas, Troy Carter, Ed Case, Judy Chu, Adriano Espaillat, Ruben Gallego, Jimmy Gomez, Raul Grijalva, Steven Horsford, Mondaire Jones, Ro Khanna, Susie Lee, Ted Lieu, Alan Lowenthal, Gwen Moore, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Jamie Raskin, Adam Smith, Darren Soto, Marilyn Strickland, Thomas Suozzi, Dina Titus, Ritchie Torres, Nydia Velázquez.

The full letter text can be found here and below:

Dear Chairwoman Rosenworcel:

As the Federal Communication Commission (or Commission) implements relevant broadband provisions of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (or Infrastructure Act), we write to urge the Commission to require Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to make the broadband consumer label, or "broadband nutrition" label, available in multiple languages. ^[1]

On November 15, 2021, President Biden signed into law the Infrastructure Act, the largest ever federal investment in broadband deployment and adoption – totaling approximately $65 billion. The Infrastructure Act will help improve broadband internet access in rural areas and make internet service more affordable for low-income households. Admittedly, these investments are necessary – and timely – to connect every household in America as many of the internet-powered devices that became necessary throughout the pandemic continue to be a safe and viable must-have for millions of households across the household.

In addition, the Act directs the FCC "to promulgate regulations to require the display of broadband consumer labels, to disclose to consumers information regarding broadband Internet access service plans." As the demand for internet service – both fixed and mobile broadband services – grows, we must ensure Internet Service Providers (ISPs) make these "broadband nutrition" labels widely available in Spanish and Asian and Pacific Island (AAPI) languages such as Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Bengali and other languages deemed necessary.

For instance, out of the 53 million Hispanic people living in the United States, or 17% of the population, more than 38 million people speak Spanish as a primary language at home. Moreover, Asian Americans are among the fastest growing ethnic population in the United States, estimated to reach 46 million by 2060.^[4] The nearly 22 million Asian Americans, represent over 48 different subethnicities that includes a diverse and rich spectrum of spoken languages and dialects. Multilingualism is embedded in the fabric of our rich history as a nation of migrants, and we must ensure initiatives like these under consideration at the Commission are not limited to English fluent consumers.

The difficulty of determining the right internet plan can be a challenge, especially to those unfamiliar with terms such as "data usage, "typical speed downstream/upstream," and "latency" – terms included within the Commission's latest version of these labels. That is why it is important now more than ever that we ensure these vital consumer-friendly labels leave no one feeling lost or uninformed because of a language barrier. We urge that the Commission require ISPs to make these labels available in multiple languages to ensure our diverse communities are equally informed about their internet options. These labels are intended to empower – not obscure –consumers as we work to ensure transparency about broadband services available in the marketplace.