FCC Provides Guidance on Net Neutrality Compliance Ahead of Federal Register Publication

Late last week, the Federal Communications Commission’s Enforcement Bureau and General Counsel’s office jointly released a Public Notice offering “initial guidance” on how Internet Service Providers can comply with the transparency and disclosure rules that the FCC adopted in its Open Internet Order last December.  These are among the same “net neutrality” rules that Verizon and MetroPCS filed lawsuits to stop last December – lawsuits that U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit dismissed as “premature” because the rules had not been published in the Federal Register. We expect that the clarifications and explanations in the new “initial guidance” will be contained in the Federal Register publication of the Open Internet Order, which will trigger a new round of judicial review.  In this sense, the timing of the guidance can be viewed as a pre-emptive effort to possibly eliminate or narrow the lawsuits that will eventually be filed following Federal Register publication.

In another sense, the Public Notice actually provides some clarity to ISPs on how to comply with the disclosure rules.  The FCC once again stated that the guidance is illustrative and that broadband providers can implement other approaches that will comply.  Here are the five areas where the FCC provided clarification: 

  • Point-of-Sale Disclosures – The Open Internet Order requires ISPs to disclose network management practices, performance characteristics and commercial terms “at the point of sale.”  The Order further stated that, to meet this requirement, a provider must prominently display links to disclosures on a public website.  The FCC clarified that providers do not need to create or distribute hard copies of disclosure materials or to train sales employees to make such disclosures. Providers instead may direct prospective customers to the web page (not just the ISP’s home page) orally and/or prominently in writing.  In retail offices, broadband providers should have available devices that consumers can use to access the disclosures.
  • Service Description – The Open Internet Order requires broadband providers to disclose accurate network performance information.  For fixed broadband, the 13 large ISPs that are participating in the FCC’s SamKnows speed test can use the results as a sufficient representation of what their customers can expect.  Those ISPs that are not participating in the project can use the methodology to measure actual performance.  The FCC plans to release the methodology and the results before the rules become effective.  Alternatively, ISPs may disclose actual performance based on internal testing, consumer speed tests or other reliable third-party sources.  For mobile broadband, the FCC is collecting data on broadband performance and, when that information has been analyzed, the FCC plans to provide further guidance.  Until that time, mobile broadband providers may disclose the results of their own or third-party testing.  For all broadband providers, the Public Notice encourages disclosure of the source and methodology used to evaluate performance, and expects disclosure to be modified if actual performance materially differs from the disclosure. Expect the standards of disclosure to evolve based on comments filed in the FCC's separate "Need for Speed" proceeding, where the FCC has sought comment on the types of broadband speed and performance information that would be of most use to consumers.
  • Extent of Required Disclosures – The Commission stated in the Open Internet Order that its list of potential disclosure topics “is not necessarily exhaustive.”  Obviously, this statement aroused anxiety in ISPs who were concerned that potential findings of non-compliance for disclosures the FCC didn’t even mention.  Given this vagueness – and the potential legal pitfalls that could ensue – the Public Notice “clarified” that certain information contained in the Order will suffice for compliance “at this time,” though the FCC can determine in the future that that different disclosures are appropriate “at that time.”  The compliance disclosure topics are in paragraphs 56 (for all broadband providers) and 98 (for mobile broadband providers) of the Order and are summarized in this presentation.
  • Content, Applications, Service and Device Providers – The Open Internet Order requires disclosure to content, application, service and device providers.  Given the uncertainty over what broadband providers must disclose to these edge providers, the Public Notice clarified that the disclosures sufficient to enable consumers to make informed choices will generally satisfy the disclosure obligations to edge providers.  Thus, the FCC anticipates that broadband providers should only need to have one set of disclosures, and “technologically sophisticated” edge providers should be able to rely on a disclosure statement that the broadband ISP provides to consumers.
  • Security Measures – In response to claims that disclosure of numerous and constantly evolving security techniques would be unduly burdensome on broadband providers, the Public Notice reiterated the “touchstone” of its transparency rules – disclosure of information sufficient for consumers to make informed choices.  As examples, the FCC expects broadband providers to disclose if security measures intended to spread of viruses, malware, spam and other threats also prevent end users from running mail or web servers.  The FCC does not expect ISPs to disclose internal security measures that do not affect consumer choice, such as routing security practices.

Left unaddressed was the uncertainty surrounding enforcement of the Open Internet rules.  As we wrote in our earlier blog post, the FCC’s failure to articulate timing of decisions on complaints and remedies for non-compliance made it difficult for broadband providers to assess the risk associated with the complaint process.  At least with the guidance offered in the Public Notice, broadband providers have a little more clarity that will, hopefully, spur disclosures that are not put to the enforcement test.