Up to speeds should be banned from broadband advertising

Ofcom’s Communications Consumer Panel has called on advertising authorities to ban ‘up to’ speeds from broadband advertising because it is too misleading.

There has been a lot of controversy over the past couple of years over the fact that many Internet service providers use the term ‘up to’ when describing the headline speed for their broadband service. Many have argued that this is misleading because it leads people to believe that this is the speed that they will receive whereas in reality they don’t get anywhere near this speed.

The Communications Consumer Panel from the UK’s communications regulator Ofcom is now urging advertising authorities in the UK to put a stop to Internet providers using this term to advertise the speeds that come with their broadband services.

A consultation on broadband advertising is currently being carried out for the Advertising Standards Authority by the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and the Broadcasting Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP). The consumer panel said that advertising watchdogs need to be far tougher when it comes to this sort of advertising.

The panel said: “In the panel’s view, the ‘up to’ descriptor is no longer credible or sustainable and must be replaced by some type of typical speed descriptor.” It added: “This descriptor must be clear and simple to ensure consumers are able to understand which speeds they are likely to receive from different types of service. The descriptor must be short, use a single speed and indicate that the speed achieved is not the same for all.”

Do you think that the up to speeds used in advertising should be stopped? Let us know with your comments

Source – PC Pro