The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has announced from that, from May 2018, broadband firms will no longer be able to advertise their services based on the speeds that only a few customers get. Contributor Dave Millett – Equinox.

“Overall the news is very welcome – it is something we have been campaigning about and highlighting for several years. Dave Millett says. “The fact that providers have been allowed to get away with highly misleading advertising for years has been disappointing. It is like Ford advertising the top speed of all their cars based on the Ford GT.

“Providers now have to use the average speeds achieved at peak time by 50 percent of customers – but why do we have to wait five months for it to come into effect?  How many people will be duped by misleading adverts on Black Friday? Many may end up signing themselves into long term contracts based on the continued use of these misleading claims.

“We believe that before any customer signs they should be told the actual expected speed for their address and that should form part of the contract. This will also mean that people who will receive a very slow speed with a supplier will know to look elsewhere – this will prompt suppliers to ‘up their game’ by increasing speeds, or reducing prices for slower speed areas – or risk losing customers.”

“Why should customers who get, say, less than half the average speed pay the same as those getting the top speeds? In the end it is still a damning indictment of the UK’s poor infrastructure and the small amount of money allocated in yesterday’s budget will do little to fix it. “As always it seems with the telecoms industry; lies, dam lies and statistics.”