Public to be consulted about “misleading” broadband ads

The public is set to be asked about misleading claims in adverts for broadband services.

Reports say that advertising regulators are poised to open up their ongoing review of claims made about broadband speeds to consumers.

Code writing bodies the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP) have been reviewing broadband ads at the request of the Advertising Standards Authority since last summer.

Concerns centre on claims made by suppliers about the “up to” speed customers can expect to receive from their broadband service against the speed actually experienced.

Providers including BSkyB, Virgin Media and Talk Talk have all upped their marketing activity in recent years in the battle to grab customers.

A consultation could be announced this week. A change in advertising codes could result in restricting broadband providers from making certain claims in their ads.

A spokesman for CAP and BCAP says a consultation is expected “imminently” but declined to offer details on its content.

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Marketing in search of the absolute

David Reed

Trust is such a key component of customer relationships that you would imagine brands do everything possible to achieve a state of certainty. Verifying the identity of each customer seems like an obvious starting point. Providing completely accurate product details ought to be another component.