Panel calls for broadband speed code

Customers could be paying over the odds for their broadband connections, as a consumer organisation has called for a review of internet service provider (ISP) speeds.

The Consumer Panel has asked Ofcom to investigate and develop a code for ISPs to work towards in delivering the broadband speeds advertised.

"This code would establish agreed processes to give the customer the best information during and after the sales process, and to give them flexibility to move freely to different packages that reflect the actual speeds with which their ISPs are able to provide them," said Colette Bowe, chairman of the Ofcom Consumer Panel.

According to the panel, any code should include information about the maximum speeds possible and the factors that might affect this, as well as the option for customers to back out of a service that is slower than the one they signed up for.

Michael Phillips from Broadband Choices said recently that the UK lags behind Europe when it comes to broadband speeds, something that "will have an impact on small businesses, especially as the amount of data that we look to transfer increases in size".
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