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Crystal Clear Campaign goes live
(17-09-07) - A movement to force ISPs to advertise a typical speed rather than a maximum speed for broadband packages has gone live, calling for unhappy consumers to rally together.
BroadbandChoices.co.uk, along with partner Computeractive, is campaigning for Ofcom to review provider regulations, which currently allow ISPs to advertise maximum speeds, such as ‘up to 8Mb’, that are rarely, if ever, achieved.
Along with the average speed results collected from our new Speed Tester, which is free to download, Computeractive has put a petition online on the 10 Downing Street website (see useful links), which will be presented to the Government early next year.
The campaign is calling on Ofcom to oblige ISPs to provide clear information about the actual speed customers are likely to receive - which they can easily predict using distance from the exchange and contention. This information should be made clear prior to subscription.
Speed should also be published in the form of a “typical rate”, much like that published by credit card and loan providers.
Finally, although there are many online, independent speed testers available, such as BroadbandChoice’s own Speed Tester used in the campaign, these results are not always accepted by ISPs who claim customers are actually enjoying faster speeds. Because of this, Ofcom should introduce its own independent broadband speed testing service for consumers, so that they can compare advertised maximum rates against actual speed.
Michael Phillips, BroadbandChoices.co.uk product director, said: “Because of the way in which providers are allowed to advertise their speeds - as ‘up to’ - it is very difficult for customers to complain when they feel they’re not getting what they pay for.
“This campaign will bring the issue to light and hopefully force ISPs to change the way they advertise their packages,” he added.
More information on the campaign will be available soon at BroadbandChoices.co.uk, the Computeractive website (see useful links) and in issue 250 of Computeractive magazine.
Download our Speed Tester and become part of our campaign.
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