Ofcom empowers people with slow broadband

Ofcom CEO Sharon White

UK broadband customers will be able to walk away from their contracts if speeds fall below “acceptable levels”, thanks to new Ofcom legislation. 

In a strengthened version of the UK broadcast regulator’s Code of Practise, customers will be able to end their broadband contracts at any point, not just in the first three months, if they experience internet speed problems that cannot be resolved.

Virgin Media, Sky, BT, TalkTalk and EE are among the broadband providers that have signed up to the strengthened code, which was announced today,

Ofcom said that as households connect more devices to the web – from PCs and laptops to smart TVs and tablets – the code helps customers “have the information they need to make an informed choice about which broadband package is right for them.”

“When Ofcom was established, access to a reliable internet connection and mobile phone was a ‘nice to have’. Now it is essential to the functioning of the economy, to the way people work and live their lives,” said Ofcom CEO Sharon White.

The new code also includes new processes to make switching broadband and landline providers easier, and plans to make it easier for consumers to change mobile providers.