Compliance activity in relation to broadband speed claims: On the ACCC agenda

In a speech on 24 February, the chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), Rod Sims, outlined the areas of focus of the ACCC's compliance and enforcement activities for 2017.

One of the areas of focus in the consumer protection area is broadband performance and speed claims. The ACCC has recently released 6 principles to guide retail providers of broadband services in marketing material and the provision of information to consumers. These are:

• Consumers should be provided with accurate information regarding typical busy period speeds that an average consumer on a broadband plan should expect to receive.
• Wholesale network speeds or theoretical speeds taken from technical specifications should not be advertised without reference to typical busy period speeds.