Connection speed differences causes MLA to hit out at government

After a recent investigation by Ofcom, which discovered that as many as a fifth of all households in the UK were receiving 25 percent lower broadband connection speeds than they were actually paying for, Thomas Burns, the SDLP South Antrim MLA has called for the government to take action.

In order for any customers who signed up with an Internet Service Provider to be satisfied that the speed promises made by providers matched the actual speed of the broadband connect, the SDLP made demands last January that Ofcom set a longer period of cooling off, said Mr Burns.

He said “Indeed, the ‘up to’ speeds advertised by broadband providers varied widely from the actual slower speeds available on a given customer or business line.”

Mr Burns went on to add “I was therefore pleased that in June Ofcom moved to introduce a code calling on ISP’s to publish ‘accurate estimates’ of connection speeds. I also welcomed the fact that 32 ISP’s, covering more than 90 per cent of UK broadband customers, agreed to sign up to the code.”

As a result of the recent investigation by Ofcom that discovered that one in every five homes were receiving broadband connection speeds of under 25 percent of the speed they were actually paying for led Mr Burns to demand that immediate action must be taken by the government.

Mr Burns said “Pressure must be brought to bear on ISP’s to explain clearly to customers what speeds they can expect, particularly in rural areas, and to ensure that their networks meet consumers’ increasing demand for higher speed broadband.”

He also said “It is important that customers know what they are paying for. Where they find it isn’t fit for purpose, they should be able to move penalty-free or have charges adjusted to fit the speeds they get.”