FCC Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Internet Service Providers Required To Display Consumer Friendly Product Labeling

The new federal rules say any company, large or small, that offers standalone broadband internet service is required to prominently display consumer friendly labels at the point of sale, including in store and online.

Broadband labeling has been in development since 2015, and was completed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Biden Administration.

The new federal rules take effect April 10, 2024. They say any company, large or small, that offers standalone broadband internet service is required to prominently display consumer friendly labels at the point of sale, including in store and online.

This broadband label was purposefully stylized after food nutrition labels.

*Courtesy of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)*

The labeling will resemble the nutrition labels found on food products. The labels must be easy-to-read and include broadband prices, introductory rate details, data allowances and broadband speeds. The labels must also include easy-to-navigate links to learn more about available discounts or service bundles, network management practices and privacy policies.

Separate labels must be displayed for each standalone broadband service offered and it cannot be buried where multiple clicks are reduced to a link, thumbnail or icon that a consumer might miss.

FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau Chief Alejandro Roark said it was vital to get internet access service clarified and simplified.

“The FCC borrowed the nutrition label model format from food products because we wanted to make basic information about broadband internet service easily recognizable and easy to understand,” Roark said. “Our rules require that these labels be fully displayed at the point of sale, including on the main purchasing pages that providers may have online.”

Deputy Director of the White House National Economic Council Jon Donenberg said the labels will help consumers comparison shop for internet service, eliminating obscure terms and fine print.

“It will make sure that you have a clear, straightforward explanation of your home internet and mobile plans and services before you sign up for anything,” Donenberg said. “That transparency will also save you money. By making it easier to directly compare plans from one provider to another. Consumers will be able to get the best and most affordable deal on the market or the exact type of service that they need. And companies can compete on offering better terms, not just more confusing ones.”

Roark said the labeling requirements will be extended to the consumer’s monthly bills.

“We’re also making sure that consumers access the standardized, easy to understand information about their internet service plan and doesn’t end when they sign up for service.” Roark said. “In particular, the commission required internet service providers to make the labels accessible on a consumer’s online account. That means that consumers will be able to find this information whenever they pay their bill, compare their current plan to other plans, or engage in any other activity online.”

Regarding potential violations of the broadband labeling laws, the FCC Enforcement Bureau and other bureaus will monitor public reporting consumer complaints to the commission, notices from partner agencies and use other investigative tools to monitor compliance with the law, and refer matters to the Enforcement Bureau as appropriate.

Consumers who feel that the transparency rules are not being met may file complaints with the FCC. The commission will follow up on those complaints to see if there is some larger pattern that may need to be acted on.

To view a glossary that helps consumers better understand the information displayed on the label, click here.

Click here for a sample home broadband label.

Click here for a sample mobile broadband label.

National Emergency Alert Test Planned On Oct. 4

A national Emergency Alert System test will begin Wednesday at approximately 2:20 p.m.

A national emergency alert system test will begin Wednesday at approximately 2:20 p.m. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Communications Commission will be testing an alert system that notifies the public of national, state or local emergencies.

The text will display on smartphones in either Spanish or English, depending on the language settings. An alert will also go out on radio and TV. Kanawha County Homeland Security and Emergency Management Director C.W. Sigman said if you get an alert outside of routine testing it generally means something very serious is going on.

“It means to pay attention to alerts, go inside, turn on your TV or radio. Try to get more information,” he said.

He said the use of TV, Radio and Cellular alerts helps provide wider coverage, especially for areas with no cellular signal.

“The emergency alert will kind of tell you what’s going on but you may want more information to know what kind of protective actions you should take,” Sigman said.

To ensure that these alerts are accessible to the entire public, including residents with disabilities, the alerts will have a unique tone and vibration.

Federal Funds Help Private Schools Expand Internet Access

Seven private West Virginia schools will receive more than $120,000 from the Federal Communications Commission.

Seven private West Virginia schools will receive more than $120,000 from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

The largest individual award of $53,850 will go to the Eastern Panhandle Preparatory Academy, a charter school in Kearneysville.

The other six awards are:

$37,600 – St. Patrick School, Weston
$6,926 – St. Michael School, Wheeling
$6,926 – Central Catholic High School, Wheeling
$6,926 – Our Lady of Peace School, Wheeling
$6,233 – St. Paul School, Weirton
$3,694 – Fairmont Catholic School, Fairmont

The funding is made possible through the Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) and will help the schools purchase laptops and tablets, Wi-Fi hotspots, modems, routers and broadband connections for students, faculty and staff.

The ECF was authorized as part of the American Rescue Plan to provide $7.17 billion to expand distance learning and connectivity around the country.

The most recent allocation last year went to Greenbrier, Nicholas, Wayne, Kanawha, Cabell and Lincoln County School Districts.

New FCC Maps Find Thousands Of Unserved Broadband Locations In W.Va.

High speed internet is one step closer for unserved parts of West Virginia with new maps just released by the FCC.

High speed internet is one step closer for unserved parts of West Virginia with new maps just released by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

During a briefing with West Virginia reporters, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., announced the release of the updated broadband maps for the entire country. He said the first round of maps came out last November, but were quickly challenged.

In response, the Federal Communications Commission changed how it determined the presence of broadband in an area — switching from census tracts to individual homes and businesses.

In an online statement, Susan Rosenworcel, the FCC chairwoman, said the new maps “identified every household and small business in the country that should have access to high-speed internet service. For context on how much more granular this is than what came before, in our current mapping effort the Commission identified over 114 million locations where fixed broadband could be installed compared to data from just 8.1 million census blocks in our prior maps.”

Manchin said the new mapping revealed 86,000 more locations in West Virginia without reliable broadband bringing the number to 271,000.

“There shouldn’t be a person living anywhere in West Virginia that won’t be able to access coverage,” he said. “That’s how big this is.”

Manchin said the change in areas that are unserved places West Virginia in the top 10 states with increased numbers.

“We’ve been saying that because our maps were so flawed. We proved this to them during speed tests,” he said. “They were going to pay out the money a long time ago. We prevented that from going out until we got accurate maps. West Virginia should take care of every little nook and cranny in our state, which is our goal.”

As part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a total of $65 billion will be available to internet service providers to build the access. According to the FCC website, in June the new maps will be released to those service providers so they can begin preparing their bid proposals.

Manchin didn’t say how much money the state will get for broadband, but noted it is much more expensive to build towers and lines in West Virginia than it is in Ohio or Iowa because of the terrain and access to cover the needed areas.

Eligible Consumers Can Receive Pandemic Broadband Discounts

The worldwide coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated the need for high-speed internet connectivity, and it’s further emphasized the problems with high-speed access.

Starting on May 12, eligible consumers will be able to sign up for temporary discounts on broadband services and on the purchase of laptops, desktop computers, and tablets through the Federal Communications Commission’s $3.2 billion Emergency Broadband Benefit program.

This program will continue until funding runs out or six months after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declares an end to the pandemic.

Eligible households can receive up to $50 a month. Those living on qualified tribal lands can receive $75 per month. Consumers can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers.

To be eligible, one person in the household must be low-income, at or below 135% of the federal poverty level. Or, they may also be participating in assistance programs including SNAP, Medicaid, or Lifeline, and relying on free and reduced-price school meals or have received a Federal Pell Grant during the current award year.

Alternatively, consumers who have suffered a large loss in income during the pandemic (due to job loss or furlough since Feb. 29, 2020) are also eligible, providing that the household had a total income in 2020 at or below $99,000 for single filers and $198,000 for joint filers.

Consumers can locate a local internet provider from this list. The benefit is available to eligible new, prior, and existing customers of participating providers. More information is available on the website www.getemergencybroadband.org or by calling (833) 511-0311.

FCC: Thousands Of West Virginians Will Have Ultra-Fast Broadband Over Next Decade

More than 119,000 additional West Virginia homes and businesses will have access to high-speed broadband internet over a 10-year period.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced this week that an estimated 218,000 people living and working in West Virginia will gain access to high-speed broadband through an auction that was held by the commission called the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I.

“This historic auction is great news for the residents of so many rural West Virginia communities, who will get access to high-quality broadband service in areas that for too long have been on the wrong side of the digital divide,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai in a press release.

In West Virginia, the auction allocated $362 million in support of expanding broadband to unserved homes and businesses over the next decade.

Nearly all locations in West Virginia that were eligible for the auction will be receiving access to broadband with speeds of at least 100/20 Mbps (megabits per second), and 91 percent will have access to gigabit-speed internet, which, according to companies like Verizon and Comcast, is internet “in a league of its own.”

Gigabit broadband is one of the fastest internet speeds available and allows consumers to download large video files like an hour-long, high definition online class or webinar in seconds.

All 55 counties will experience some of this expansion, the FCC said.

“We structured this innovative and groundbreaking auction to prioritize bids for high-speed, low-latency services to deliver the best results for rural Americans, and the results show that this strategy worked,” Pai said. “This auction was the Commission’s single largest step ever taken toward delivering digital opportunity to every American and is another key success in our ongoing commitment to universal service.”

The Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I auction is part of a broader effort by the FCC to close the digital divide in rural America. In October 2020, the commission adopted rules creating the 5G Fund for Rural America, which will distribute up to $9 billion over the next decade to bring 5G wireless broadband connectivity to rural America.

See below for a list of winning bidders, number of homes and businesses to be served, and total support for 10 years in West Virginia by county:

County	Bidder	Locations	Support
Barbour	Citynet West Virginia, LLC	43	$262,152
Barbour	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	687	$3,575,497
Barbour	Space Exploration Technologies Corp.	218	$248,686
	Barbour, WV Total	948	$4,086,335
Berkeley	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	1,309	$1,757,670
Berkeley	Space Exploration Technologies Corp.	234	$357,751
	Berkeley, WV Total	1,543	$2,115,421
Boone	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	121	$365,100
Boone	Space Exploration Technologies Corp.	28	$42,808
	Boone, WV Total	149	$407,908
Braxton	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	1,323	$6,317,011
Braxton	Micrologic Inc.	662	$2,665,408
Braxton	Space Exploration Technologies Corp.	391	$934,816
	Braxton, WV Total	2,376	$9,917,234
Brooke	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	464	$1,097,310
Brooke	Space Exploration Technologies Corp.	111	$169,702
	Brooke, WV Total	575	$1,267,012
Cabell	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	1,257	$3,416,929
Cabell	Space Exploration Technologies Corp.	125	$191,106
	Cabell, WV Total	1,382	$3,608,035
Calhoun	Citynet West Virginia, LLC	685	$1,433,970
Calhoun	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	1,199	$3,124,831
Calhoun	Space Exploration Technologies Corp.	591	$424,071
	Calhoun, WV Total	2,475	$4,982,872
Clay	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	2,614	$8,093,511
Clay	Space Exploration Technologies Corp.	11	$19,698
	Clay, WV Total	2,625	$8,113,209
Doddridge	Citynet West Virginia, LLC	1,272	$5,066,358
	Doddridge, WV Total	1,272	$5,066,358
Fayette	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	860	$2,381,586
Fayette	Shenandoah Cable Television, LLC	419	$91,867
Fayette	Space Exploration Technologies Corp.	2,058	$2,533,544
	Fayette, WV Total	3,337	$5,006,997
Gilmer	Citynet West Virginia, LLC	1,975	$12,327,245
	Gilmer, WV Total	1,975	$12,327,245
Grant	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	1,717	$6,464,328
Grant	Micrologic Inc.	931	$3,698,934
	Grant, WV Total	2,648	$10,163,262
Greenbrier	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	2,372	$7,422,265
Greenbrier	GigaBeam Networks, LLC	643	$1,178,080
Greenbrier	Space Exploration Technologies Corp.	1,534	$2,693,754
	Greenbrier, WV Total	4,549	$11,294,098
Hampshire	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	8,960	$27,177,927
	Hampshire, WV Total	8,960	$27,177,927
Hancock	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	629	$884,464
Hancock	Space Exploration Technologies Corp.	30	$45,865
	Hancock, WV Total	659	$930,330
Hardy	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	240	$771,379
Hardy	Space Exploration Technologies Corp.	3	$4,587
	Hardy, WV Total	243	$775,966
Harrison	Citynet West Virginia, LLC	115	$491,250
Harrison	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	504	$1,508,026
Harrison	Space Exploration Technologies Corp.	115	$107,058
	Harrison, WV Total	734	$2,106,334
Jackson	Commnet Wireless, LLC	206	$196,952
Jackson	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	3,097	$12,976,070
Jackson	Space Exploration Technologies Corp.	317	$394,961
	Jackson, WV Total	3,620	$13,567,983
Jefferson	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	250	$359,970
Jefferson	Space Exploration Technologies Corp.	122	$186,520
	Jefferson, WV Total	372	$546,490
Kanawha	Altice USA, Inc.	536	$125,528
Kanawha	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	956	$3,598,900
Kanawha	Space Exploration Technologies Corp.	876	$1,339,271
	Kanawha, WV Total	2,368	$5,063,699
Lewis	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	1,433	$6,787,610
Lewis	Space Exploration Technologies Corp.	14	$21,404
	Lewis, WV Total	1,447	$6,809,014
Lincoln	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	1,590	$6,742,714
Lincoln	Space Exploration Technologies Corp.	5	$7,644
	Lincoln, WV Total	1,595	$6,750,358
Logan	GigaBeam Networks, LLC	497	$740,565
	Logan, WV Total	497	$740,565
Marion	Citynet West Virginia, LLC	940	$3,353,513
Marion	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	577	$1,318,035
	Marion, WV Total	1,517	$4,671,548
Marshall	Citynet West Virginia, LLC	39	$102,048
Marshall	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	2,131	$9,038,010
	Marshall, WV Total	2,170	$9,140,058
Mason	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	5,253	$15,083,241
Mason	Space Exploration Technologies Corp.	5	$7,644
	Mason, WV Total	5,258	$15,090,885
McDowell	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	553	$3,145,554
McDowell	Space Exploration Technologies Corp.	285	$435,722
	McDowell, WV Total	838	$3,581,276
Mercer	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	1,653	$7,024,422
Mercer	Space Exploration Technologies Corp.	388	$605,448
	Mercer, WV Total	2,041	$7,629,870
Mineral	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	2,580	$8,990,083
	Mineral, WV Total	2,580	$8,990,083
Mingo	GigaBeam Networks, LLC	1,137	$869,882
	Mingo, WV Total	1,137	$869,882
Monongalia	Citynet West Virginia, LLC	674	$1,014,588
Monongalia	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	4,554	$7,188,549
	Monongalia, WV Total	5,228	$8,203,137
Monroe	GigaBeam Networks, LLC	4,733	$18,446,130
Monroe	Space Exploration Technologies Corp.	37	$73,332
	Monroe, WV Total	4,770	$18,519,462
Morgan	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	2,910	$6,377,781
	Morgan, WV Total	2,910	$6,377,781
Nicholas	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	4,632	$6,339,390
Nicholas	Space Exploration Technologies Corp.	276	$311,493
	Nicholas, WV Total	4,908	$6,650,883
Ohio	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	276	$1,016,145
Ohio	Space Exploration Technologies Corp.	250	$382,212
	Ohio, WV Total	526	$1,398,358
Pendleton	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	1,011	$7,446,186
Pendleton	Space Exploration Technologies Corp.	13	$19,875
	Pendleton, WV Total	1,024	$7,466,061
Pleasants	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	1,070	$5,290,686
	Pleasants, WV Total	1,070	$5,290,686
Pocahontas	Citynet West Virginia, LLC	747	$1,791,105
Pocahontas	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	2,139	$6,290,076
	Pocahontas, WV Total	2,886	$8,081,181
Preston	Digital Connections Inc. dba PRODIGI	4,771	$8,583,001
	Preston, WV Total	4,771	$8,583,001
Putnam	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	2,607	$8,649,259
Putnam	Space Exploration Technologies Corp.	133	$162,311
	Putnam, WV Total	2,740	$8,811,570
Raleigh	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	367	$1,471,210
Raleigh	Space Exploration Technologies Corp.	148	$226,270
	Raleigh, WV Total	515	$1,697,480
Randolph	Citynet West Virginia, LLC	99	$411,870
Randolph	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	1,963	$6,122,338
Randolph	Micrologic Inc.	483	$3,671,706
Randolph	Space Exploration Technologies Corp.	51	$218,474
	Randolph, WV Total	2,596	$10,424,388
Ritchie	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	381	$1,758,723
Ritchie	Space Exploration Technologies Corp.	16	$77,068
	Ritchie, WV Total	397	$1,835,790
Roane	Citynet West Virginia, LLC	2,937	$12,042,244
Roane	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	1,036	$2,151,926
	Roane, WV Total	3,973	$14,194,170
Summers	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	966	$3,334,366
Summers	GigaBeam Networks, LLC	2,061	$6,833,133
Summers	Space Exploration Technologies Corp.	161	$434,660
	Summers, WV Total	3,188	$10,602,159
Taylor	Citynet West Virginia, LLC	442	$1,297,396
Taylor	Space Exploration Technologies Corp.	36	$58,818
	Taylor, WV Total	478	$1,356,214
Tucker	Citynet West Virginia, LLC	71	$227,082
Tucker	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	2,228	$3,143,133
	Tucker, WV Total	2,299	$3,370,215
Tyler	Citynet West Virginia, LLC	660	$1,309,788
Tyler	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	1,624	$5,585,738
	Tyler, WV Total	2,284	$6,895,526
Upshur	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	1,626	$6,070,519
Upshur	Space Exploration Technologies Corp.	49	$90,158
	Upshur, WV Total	1,675	$6,160,677
Wayne	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	1,509	$6,216,773
Wayne	Space Exploration Technologies Corp.	648	$906,818
	Wayne, WV Total	2,157	$7,123,591
Webster	Citynet West Virginia, LLC	166	$426,630
Webster	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	1,631	$3,788,028
	Webster, WV Total	1,797	$4,214,658
Wetzel	Citynet West Virginia, LLC	250	$1,208,436
Wetzel	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	1,345	$3,988,175
	Wetzel, WV Total	1,595	$5,196,611
Wirt	Citynet West Virginia, LLC	527	$3,950,754
Wirt	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	700	$3,728,292
	Wirt, WV Total	1,227	$7,679,046
Wood	Citynet West Virginia, LLC	1,818	$6,800,430
	Wood, WV Total	1,818	$6,800,430
Wyoming	Frontier Communications Corporation, DIP	487	$2,246,659
Wyoming	Space Exploration Technologies Corp.	58	$88,673
	Wyoming, WV Total	545	$2,335,333
TOTAL		119,267	$362,066,660