Broadband users should be allowed to swap ISP 'without penalty'

08:33 1st April 2010

Broadband customers whose speeds are less fast than the estimate they were sold should be able to change their internet service provider (ISP) without paying a fee, according to Michael Phillips, product director at broadbandchoices.co.uk.

Allowing users to swap charge-free would be a "useful, real world improvement" to Ofcom's voluntary code of practice on broadband speeds, said Mr Phillips.

"The devil is in the execution. If the code remains voluntary - or slightly vague - then it's questionable how it will work in practice", he added.

His comments came as communications regulator Ofcom published a new research revealing that three out of four of its mystery shoppers were not told that the speed they were actually going to take was probably going to be slower than the maximum speed when signing up to an ISP.

Mr Phillips described the ISPs practice of not providing accurate information about online speeds as "disappointing" as "the onus should be fairly and squarely on ISPs to proactively provide it".

Written by Derek Oldman

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