Internet Service Providers (ISP's) are required to provide customers with an accurate estimate of the maximum speed their broadband service can support at either the point of sale to the customer, in the shop, over the phone or on their Internet website under a new voluntary Code of Practice published recently by Ofcom the Telecommunications Regulator. Other steps required by the code which aims to ensure greater clarity in broadband markets include:-

1. Resolving technical issues to improve speed and offering customers the choice to move onto lower speed packages when published speeds are not met.
2. Ensuring all sales and promotional staff have a proper understanding of the products so they can explain the meaning of the estimates given out to potential customers.
3. Providing estimates on usuage limits and alerting customers when they are about to or have breached them.
4. Ofcom is urging all fixed line ISP's to sign up to the code of practice and implement it within sixs months of signing.
5. 'Voluntary code of practice: broadband speeds' is available at HTTP://tinyurl.com/6eotts
6. Advice for consumers on broadband speeds is available at the same web address.

Ofcom can be contacted on 0845 456 3000

(News Source coutesy of FSB Voice of Business www.fsb.org.uk/111)