“There are so many other, easy, things that could be done to improve the situation” says Mike. “The Commission should simply fine those firms who make misleading statements about the provisions that they can offer. Further transparency measures would ensure that consumers expect and receive a high level of service.
“However, the responsibility also falls on consumers to hold their providers to account. In the UK, 16% of people are willing to change providers when better services are offered elsewhere; this is a full 4% over the EU average, so they are already on their way to ensuring that they receive high quality products for their money. More consumers need to join them in order to ensure that companies improve the services that they offer.
“Finally, high bandwidth users need to join the campaign to reduce traffic shaping. If high-profile bandwidth providers such as the BBC and Apple name and shame those providers who are failing to fulfil their obligations and thus restricting the enjoyment of their products, we are far more likely to see real changes and results.”