Category: Regulation

Analysing broadband speeds is never simple and every methodology has its pros and cons but the real art is in how you interpret the results and the ASA has told Sky that it got it wrong.

Just a couple of weeks after Openreach survived widespread calls for a full split into its own PLC Gavin Patterson and Kim Mears have been put into the bright lights of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee.

Ed Vaizey appears to have put his personal banner behind moves to integrate voice line rental and other measures to improve the clarity and customer service in the broadband world.

The once in a decade storm that is the review of digital communications market has been published and this means we now know the likely future direction of the UK broadband market if operators and investors are willing to step up to the mark.

We expect Ofcom to publish its conclusions following a seven-month review of the digital communications market it, including asking the big question about whether Openreach should be restructured to make it independent from BT Plc.

The decision on Openreach due from Ofcom is so close that no major changes are possible but it appears Sky wish to go on the record to record their hopes so we can all judge how Ofcom performs.

The latest ASA ruling is one we would have not covered if it were not for the outlandish claims by Virgin Media that 12 Mbps is needed for a single HD stream and thus to run two streams and still do web browsing you need their 152 Mbps service.

Another week and the lobbying to mould Openreach into the network operator everyone loves rather than hates continues, this time with input from the business world.

DCMS and Openreach have announced a new deal that should see the local loop operator delivering superfast broadband to new build premises, something that campaigners have been calling for for a long time.

The ASA and Ofcom are pursuing changes to broadband advertising to incorporate line rental. We examine the difficulties in implementing this given the complex nature of the broadband market.