On Tue, 16 Feb 2010 13:38:28 +0000, PeterC wrote:
> This in PC Pro today, re. Ofcom's protection of ISPs:
>
> http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/broadban...tection-racket
# Bradley’s predecessor Colette Bowe called for a broadband Code of
# Practice that, among other measures, would free consumers from their
# contracts “if the actual line speed is significantly lower than the
# package they bought”. Yet, by the time Ofcom drew up its voluntary Code
# of Practice in the summer of 2008, that clause had been dropped.
Would have been a waste of time anyway. All any ISP would need to do to
avoid it would be to not mention speed in the package, eg S, M, L, XL etc.
# Last summer, she urged broadband providers to advertise average, rather
# than up-to, speeds, but her recommendations appear to have fallen on
# deaf ears with ISPs and Ofcom.
An absence of any powers to enforce this might be a reason why it didn't
happen. Although ISPs giving guidance on what sort of performance a
customer can expect with a 'basket' of applications wouldn't be a bad
idea.
# At the Westminster eForum she described 2Mbits/sec connections as
# “enough for today”, even though Virgin Media is offering connections 25
# times that speed.
The author does exactly what they accuse Bradley of - pick an arbitrary
number and assume it'll do.
# “The Panel also receives regular technology briefings from Ofcom
# experts,” the Panel spokesman added. So the “independent advisory body”
# is taking a technical steer from Ofcom and former Ofcom bigwigs.
So what are you suggesting? Don't speak to Ofcom at all? Thank fuck
they're not taking advice from PC Pro.
# The panel doesn’t deal with individual complaints about telcos or ISPs,
# so has no first-hand experience of the issues affecting consumers,
Yeah, because nobody on the panel has the internet at home, or knows
anybody with an internet connection.
# and its website makes no attempt to encourage public feedback, bar an
# email address for Bradley that’s tucked away on the Contacts page.
I don't know, websites nowadays, putting email addresses on the Contacts
page.
What a load of fucking drivel.
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