Adverts need to be more honest about the speeds you will actually receive.
Consumer champion Which? has called on regulators to change the way broadband speeds are advertised.
Current rules mean that broadband providers can advertise maximum speeds, even if only 10% of customers can actually enjoy that speed.
It has launched a Give us broadband speed guaranteed campaign, targeting the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and the Broadcasting Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP), with a view to pulling the plug on misleading adverts.
Which? argues that claims such as “superfast” should be quantified and that providers should only advertise the speeds that customers are most likely to get.
A need for speed
According to Which? research, just 12% of us know about the current broadband advertising rules. But getting an honest idea of the speeds we will receive is crucial - for a whopping 88% of us, speed is a crucial factor when picking a broadband provider, second only to cost.
[SPOTLIGHT]Around a quarter of respondent's to Which's survey said they would have chosen a different provider if they’d been better informed of the actual speeds they would get.
Not so easy
The Internet Speed Providers Association said it supports more transparency when it comes to the advertising of broadband speeds, but warned that it’s not always easy to work out what speeds a household is going to get.
Factors beyond your internet service provider (ISP) can have an effect such as internal wiring, equipment, traffic on your home network and even an unspotted computer virus.
As a result it suggests it would be unwise to be too restrictive when it comes to quoting broadband speeds.
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