A new code of practice to ensure that ISPs offer greater
clarity over customers'
broadband line speeds was published today by comms regulator
Ofcom.
Some 32 ISPs, covering more than 90% of broadband customers,
have already agreed "to honour both the letter and the spirit of
the code to give consumers a clearer understanding of the speeds
they can get, and to ensure that they are on an appropriate
broadband package," said Ofcom.
Ofcom is concerned that consumers could be misled or misinformed
when choosing their broadband services by ISPs advertising headline
speeds that are higher than users can receive in practice.
Ofcom's own research has shown that consumer satisfaction of
ISPs has fallen over the last year.
To gain a clearer picture of the issue, Ofcom is also
undertaking a comprehensive broadband speed survey, to identify
actual broadband performance across the country and its
relationship to advertised headline speeds.
Steps that fixed-line ISPs are required to take under the
voluntary code include:
- Providing customers at the point of sale with an accurate
estimate of the maximum speed that the line can support, whether it
is in the shop, over the internet or on the phone
- Resolving technical issues to improve speed and offering
customers the choice to move onto a cheaper lower speed package
when estimates given are inaccurate
- Ensuring all sales and promotion staff have a proper
understanding of the products they are selling, so they can explain
to their customers the meaning of the estimates provided at the
point of sale
- Providing consumers with information on usage limits and
alerting customers when they have breached them
Ofcom has urged all fixed-line ISPs to sign up to the code and
to implement it in full within six months of signing.
Ofcom will monitor compliance, including through "mystery
shopping" exercises, to determine if ISPs are meeting both the
letter and spirit of the code.
If Ofcom finds that this voluntary approach is not effective in
addressing the issues covered by the code, it will consider
introducing formal regulations.
Separately, Ofcom will consider whether to extend the code or
develop another code to cover mobile broadband services.
ISP organisation ISPA said it welcomed the code and pointed out
it helped Ofcom draft it. It also stressed a similar code was
needed for wireless broadband services offered by mobile operators
and other providers.