Broadband petition gathers pace

Ofcom on the case after survey reveals gulf between advertised and actual broadband speeds

Ofcom is investigating the gulf between advertised and actual broadband speeds following a damning survey by CRN sister publication Computeractive.

Based on speed tests from 3,000 of its readers, Computeractive found that UK broadband speeds are much slower than ISPs advertise.

The magazine is currently running a petition instructing Ofcom to force ISPs to advertise a typical rate for broadband subscriptions, not just a theoretical ‘maximum’ rate.

It has already amassed 1,560 signatories.

Computeractive’s readers carried out more than 100,000 speed tests in the study, which was designed to estimate the average net-browsing speed on ADSL lines. More than three out of five (62 per cent) found they routinely got less than half the top speed advertised by their provider.

The magazine’s study has been picked up by the BBC, whom Ofcom told it was aware of the issue and was “investigating”.

Ofcom currently permits ISPs to advertise theoretical ‘maximum rates’ for broadband connection, with most ISPs burying in the small print the condition that consumers can only expect speeds 'up to' this maximum.

No information is available on what consumers can expect in practice, despite ISPs having access to tests that would give a much clearer idea of potential speeds to a household, based on distance from the local telephone exchange.