Advertising Standards Agency clears up web speed boasts

UK INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS (ISPs) now have better guidance on how to advertise their internet speeds and connection quality, thanks to intervention from the Advertising Standards Agency.

The ASA regularly has to wade into the internet advertising market and often has to rule that firms have said too much about their capabilities and added too much flavour to their claims.

Perhaps hoping to save itself some work in the future it has offered internet service providers and mobile operators its words of advice, rather than those of its regulators.

Because some firms make claims about their speeds that customers deny getting the ASA has suggested that they prove that at least 10 per cent of customers can get those speeds and let others know that they might not get them. This should make for exciting advertising.

"This new guidance directly responds to consumer concerns by setting an appropriately high bar for advertisers who want to make speed and 'unlimited' claims in ads," said the chairman of ASA's committee on advertising practices James Best as he ushered in the release of what the ASA is calling "Help Notes".

"Advertising is only effective if consumers trust the messages they see and hear. This guidance will help deliver that," he added.

As well as tackling claims about advertised speeds the guidance also takes into consideration other things including boasts about the number of texts people are allowed to send under an 'unlimited contract', which it suggested was usually around 2,000. µ