Advertising probe launched into 'last mile' connections

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has announced it is set to conduct a review this summer into the current advertising standards of 'fibre' broadband services following the unveiling of government concerns that many ISPs utilise copper connections.

Currently, according to the watchdog, the majority of the UK is connected via a fibre to the cabinet connection (FTTC), which sees the fibre connection routed from a regional fibre hub into a local green street cabinet (DSLAM).

However, this system reportedly relies on a copper connection to transport the service from the DSLAM to the end point of the customer's home, which is referred to in the industry as the 'last mile'.

According to the ASA, ISPs should not be advertising 'fibre' connections in circumstances when the 'last mile' connection to homes is delivered via a copper connection, which ultimately provides slower internet speeds than those promised by 'fibre' broadband providers.

The watchdog added that the government's Digital Strategy document has also called on ISPs to invest in full-fibre broadband infrastructure, suggesting that the term 'fibre' should only be used by services for these FTTP connections.

"We are now scoping a review of how we interpret the Advertising Codes when judging the use of the term ‘fibre’ to describe broadband services," said the ASA. "In particular, we will be considering whether the use of that term is likely to cause people to be materially misled."

Despite these concerns, the ASA added that it is pleased ISPs are sticking closely to the organisation's new standards on broadband advertising regarding pricing, which insists the costs of line rental and the broadband package should be combined throughout the marketing process to ensure consumers are not being misled by the stated total cost of their package.
 

(Image: Kings Sutton)