Yahoo News ISPs banned from advertising 'misleading' speeds
Broadband companies will no longer be able to advertise headline speeds that are only available to a minority of its customers.
Firms have so far been able to focus their main advertising on speeds that only 10% of customers will be able to receive, prompting this new change.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) discovered that many ISP customers were left confused and misled by the headline speeds that are advertised.
The Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP) has now come up with new rules aimed at protecting consumers from misleading claims.
After consulting with ISPs, consumer groups and Ofcom, CAP has banned firms from advertising speeds received by under 50% of customers at peak times.
They have also said that ISPs should use "average" speeds rather than "up to" speeds, and also urged them to include speed checking facilities in their ads to encourage consumers to test the speeds that they were being sold.
"There are a lot of factors that affect the broadband speed a customer is going to get in their own home; from technology to geography, to how a household uses broadband," said director of the Committees of Advertising Practice, Shahriar Coupal (via BBC News).
"Our new standards will give consumers a better understanding of the broadband speeds offered by different providers when deciding to switch providers."
Lindsey Fussell, Ofcom's consumer group director, added (via The Telegraph): "We've been backing this change, which will help close the gap between what broadband shoppers expect, and what they actually receive.
"Similarly, we're improving the information people get before taking out a broadband contract, so they can buy with confidence."
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