Broadband campaign at Downing Street site proving successful
A broadband campaign that has recently been launched by a number of industry officials is proving successful, with a petition that was posted on the 10 Downing Street website gathering over a thousand signatures in a short space of time. The Crystal Clear Broadband campaign has been set up after it was revealed that an alarming number of broadband consumers were not receiving the speeds that they were expecting with their broadband packages.
Speed testing was recently carried out by a broadband industry group, and nearly 200,000 speed tests revealed that less than 50% of broadband customers were actually receiving the broadband speeds that they had signed up for with their provider. The research revealed that over 60% were receiving speeds that were half what they had signed up for. The campaign now seeks increased clarity from the broadband industry with regards to speed, as well as action from the communications regulator Ofcom to ensure that this clarity is provided to consumers.
According to one official involved in the campaign: "ISPs need to be clear about the sort of speed each line can support - before customers sign up. ISPs have the tools to give much better estimates for consumers but refuse to because the maximum number is a better sales pull. We also think that a fairer way to promote broadband deals would be to advertise a ‘typical speed’ instead of the maximum rate which is rarely achievable."
The campaign also urges Ofcom to introduce independent speed testing to enable consumers to compare speeds and make more informed decisions with regards to which service provider to sign up to. One of the main aims is to allow consumers to compare true speeds before they sign up to a contract with a broadband provider.
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