Whilst many people have welcomes the recently launched voluntary code of practice from Ofcom one expert has said that the code is still lacking in some areas.

The communications regulator Ofcom recently announced the launch of a voluntary code of practice for ISPs to sign up to. The aim of the code was to provide greater clarity and transparency to consumers in areas such as the actual broadband speeds they will get based on their circumstances, which would then help the consumers to better determine which broadband package was right for them.

However, whilst around thirty ISPs have already signed up to the voluntary code, it has already come under criticism a couple of times. One industry official recently said that the code needed to include mobile broadband providers, otherwise a whole market of broadband customers would be left out, which would be unfair. And the code has now come under criticism again from another official, who has described the code as lacking in teeth.

The industry official said that Ofcom had not gone far enough to protect consumers with the code, and said that more is needed to make sure that the consumer can always determine which is the best broadband provider and package for their needs. He said: “We welcome Ofcom’s move to nudge internet service providers towards a greater degree of honesty, although it’s not entirely clear what happens when a member ISP fails to keep up its end; a lack of teeth to the agreement threatens its effectiveness.”

He also said: “In addition, the code appears to concentrate heavily on line speed, which isn’t really the best form of measuring an ISP’s performance. An independent throughput test would have provided a better real-world solution.”