What is the point of Ofcom? Every now and then it carries out a study into something important - 3G network coverage, say, or broadband speeds - and discovers that everybody's getting shafted.
A few months pass, it does another study, and it's shocked to discover that things are still rubbish.
Perhaps the answer is for Ofcom to create a Broadband Bill of Rights, a set of rules that ISPs and network operators have to follow - and because we're helpful types, we've written a few of them to get Ofcom started.
1. Eradicate "up to"
"Up to…" doesn't cut it when the average speed of fixed line and mobile broadband isn't even half of the advertised figures. ISPs and network operators should be compelled to print not just the "up to" numbers, but the real figures too. They should also make it clearer that the maximum speeds are based on being outdoors up a tree while dressed from head to toe in Bacofoil (in the case of 3G) or actually living inside the telephone exchange (in the case of ADSL).
2. Use words properly
Unlimited means without limits, yet stacks of ISPs and operators are allowed to use the term to describe services with bandwidth caps, fair usage policies and other restrictions. If it's restricted, it isn't unlimited.
3. Tell the truth
ISPs that deliberately throttle traffic - such as peak-time iPlayer nobbling - or block entire protocols should say so up-front. Ryanair isn't allowed to replace its planes with trampolines, although we suspect it'd like to. ISPs shouldn't be allowed to do the tech equivalent, either.
4. Stop banging on about the BBC
ISPs who moan about high bandwidth services such as iPlayer should be compelled to shut up. If you can't deliver the service at a particular price, put your prices up for heavy users. If that drives your biggest bandwidth hogs into the arms of your rivals, that's a good thing, surely?
5. Offer universal access
Broadband is a utility, and it's becoming increasingly important as government services move online, day-to-day things cost considerably more if you don't have an Internet connection and the entire economy goes digital. In areas where there's only a single operator - yes, Hull, we're looking at you - that means ISPs shouldn't be able to boot people off the internet for alleged copyright infringement. If people are pirating, that's a job for the courts.
6. Performance-related pay
Of all our proposals, this is the biggie: customers shouldn't be expected to pay for a service they don't get, so if it's £20 for "up to 20MB" then the price you pay should be "up to" £20, too. We're not suggesting that ISPs should spend all day with calculators working out what speed each person is getting, but if somebody's consistently getting half the advertised speed then they should be paying half the advertised rate. The same applies to 3G: if someone's paying X per month for a 3G connection but can't get 3G service half the time, why should they pay full whack?
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Your comments (11) Click to add a new comment
stevel8407
August 1st
11. well gary how about this one for a example, just recently changed over the post office broadband,
with the usual up to 8mb i only get 512k max , and i have the top package its probably the slowest i ve ever had after dial up and the exchange is approx 1880 metres as the crow flies away from me ,its just not on at all ,so i m thinking another move maybe on the cards , but who next , because it all goes through the same exchange site, oh well !!
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taio101
July 30th
10. I coulndn't agree more!!! ISPs are all cowboys!
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digitaldales
July 29th
9. Ofcom should:
Stop ISPs saying fibre or superfast when it isn't. Virgin have Fibre To The Coax. It is not FTTH and punters shouldn't be able to misconstrue it as such. (ASA are equally at fault here). Superfast compared to dial up maybe, but not compared to Japan, Korea, Estonia etc etc.
Read 'Broadband IS a utility. End', plus some of the articles about affordable, ubiquitous access for all http://5tth.blogspot.com
Read Fibrestream's site for what is now ongoing in Hull. There is more there than Kcom, finally.
Mandate that if it's under 2Mbps, it ain't broadband anyway. If it's not symmetrical, it's not broadband as it can't simultaneously transmit and receive voice, video and data. If it doesn't meet both of those criteria, it should be free anyway as it is a disgrace compared to far too many other countries.
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cyberdoyle
July 29th
8. Great moan. About time someone gave Ofcom some guidelines, they don't seem able to grasp the fact that the current narrowband network is unable to deliver next gen access to web 2.0 and that something will have to be done soon...
...as the regulator it is their job to know these things. As far as quangos go they suck. Complete waste of our time and MONEY.
The money they waste could light some fibre, that would be far more useful.
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jmace86
July 29th
7. Good article, not a single thing that I disagree with.
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amit290
July 29th
6. Well done Gary!
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