Unlimited broadband offers have been hitting the headlines lately, after Internet Service Providers were accused by many of false advertising as a result of claiming to offer unlimited broadband and then placing restrictions based on unclear fair use policies. Customers and campaigners have argued that the fair use policies mean that the service is not unlimited in the true sense, and moreover that the fair use policies are not clear enough for customers.
In addition to many complaints pouring in over the claims of unlimited broadband a nine thousand strong petition was also submitted to Downing Street recently. However, Downing Street has reacted to this by bouncing the issue back to the Advertising Standards Agency – which has already refused to take action over ISPs advertising unlimited broadband. As a result of this action it is unlikely that anything will be done about the issue, and regulators state that as long as Internet Service Providers make it clear that there is a fair use policy in place they do not have to make it any more transparent.
These latest complaints relating to unlimited broadband offers are adding to the already significant levels of customer dissatisfaction with Internet Service Providers. Recent reports revealed that customer satisfaction levels with Internet Service Providers fell sharply in the first three months of this year alone. Campaigners and customers have been arguing for some time that the claims of unlimited broadband are misleading and false, and for many this has simply added to their dissatisfaction with these providers.
In response to the claims of unlimited broadband by ISPs the authorities simply stated: "For example, if 80 per cent of domestic customers fall well within the limit specified by a broadband provider and the remaining 20 per cent fall outside of it, perhaps because they are using a domestic package for business use, then it may be considered a reasonable claim."
Yvan Bamping of broadband price comparison site http://www.broadband-
