On March 15, Senator Amy Klobuchar filed the Broadband Service Consumer Protection Act, a bill requiring Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to accurately advertise their delivered broadband speeds. Here’s the short description from the bill: (You can find a draft version of the bill on the StimulatingBroadband site.)

To improve consumer protection for purchasers of broadband services by requiring consistent use of broadband service terminology by providers, requiring clear and conspicuous disclosure to consumers about the actual broadband speed that may reasonably be expected, and for other purposes.

And a slightly more fleshed out version from Senator Klobuchar’s web site:

The Broadband Service Consumer Protection Act calls on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to develop uniform performance standards so consumers can more easily compare service offers before purchase and find out if they are receiving the high-speed service they are paying for each month. This legislation, cosponsored by Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Mark Begich (D-AK), responds to the practice of internet providers regularly advertising internet service speeds that are often much higher than the actual speed the average consumer receives.

According to StimulatingBroadband…

The Klobuchar bill is the first legislative effort to implement the consumer protection recommendations of the NBP. More significantly, the proposed Act is the leading federal effort of the last several years to seeking to provide ‘truth in advertising’ protection for broadband subscribers, irrespective of their chosen delivery platform.

It will be interesting to see how this is received by various sectors. It’s tough to challenge truth in advertising – but there are a lot of moving pieces to a broadband connection. It will also be interesting to see what changes suggested by the National Broadband Plan are so quickly put into action.