Broadband advertising rules to change in 2017

The way broadband is advertised in the UK is due to change in 2017.

The decision was made by the Advertising Standards Authority (A.S.A.) on Thursday.

The A.S.A. said the current descriptions of broadband speeds “up to” a certain amount are confusing and will change next year.

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Although broadband providers will be forced to change the way in which they advertise broadband speed it is not yet known how the current rules will be replaced.

Economy Minister Simon Hamilton MLA welcomed the changes.

“This is a good result for customers. I wrote to the Advertising Standards Authority earlier in the year to encourage that changes were made to the advertising rules. This is a further step to provide better information to consumers and is very much welcome.

“Quality broadband access particularly in rural areas is hugely important and as a result we have invested significantly in the provision of fast and reliable services. Indeed, where speeds above 2mb are not available, we offer a subsidy for alternative technologies such as satellite or wireless,” he added.

“Broadband is vital to the growth of our economy. It is also an important enabler connecting people and opening opportunities. These factors are particularly prevalent to rural areas and, as a largely rural community, to Northern Ireland.”

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