The communications regulator (OFCOM) has introduced a new voluntary code of practice for broadband service providers, asking them to declare realistic (actual) speed performance for their customer connections. About time too, some of the major broadband providers have ignored serious customer disappointment for far too long.
Huge discrepancies between advertised and achieved broadband speeds are a disgrace, cheating customers by charging way over the odds for the service actually provided and apparently doing little to manage their services effectively. When challenged, the broadband providers have simply relied on some horribly oldfashioned arguments that have been no more than smoke and mirrors to disguise their own poor network management.
So the OFCOM initiative may be a voluntary code of practice but it is an important first step towards transparency and honesty in the broadband market.
Broadband networks, like rail networks, are vital components of our national infrastructure and deserve similar treatment. Perhaps the regulator should now look at introducing broadband performance penalties, like those we have seen applied to the train operating companies.
You may also like to read:
