Plaid Cymru AM Nerys Evans who has led a campaign to get rid of Broadband ‘notspots’ locally, has today called for a clampdown on misleading Broadband adverts.
The Plaid AM, whose comments followed the publication of an OFCOM report, said that there is currently a lot of confusion among consumers about broadband. Ms Evans is calling on the UK government to strengthen the remit of OFCOM to enable them to clampdown on misleading advertising of broadband services.
Plaid Cymru AM for Mid and West Wales Nerys Evans said:
“This report demonstrates the confusion that there is currently on Broadband. Through their marketing and advertising, Broadband companies are giving consumers the impression that high speed broadband is available to all. My own experience of campaigning to remove broadband ‘not spots’ in Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire has clearly demonstrated that this is simply not the case. The reality is that access to broadband, and the speed at which you can access it, depends very much on where you live.
“ Many of the people living in the communities that I represent are unable to access high speed broadband at the moment because they live too far away from the exchange, or because the infrastructure in place isn’t sufficient to deliver high speeds. Yet if the advertising is to be believed, anybody living in any community can shop around and pick up 100meg broadband from the shelf. It is wrong that these Broadband companies can get away with giving people such a false impression. The UK government must act now to strengthen the hand of OFCOM, so that as a watchdog they can clampdown on this misleading advertising. Consumers need to be given the right information so that they can learn what they can realistically expect from the broadband infrastructure that’s in place in their local area.
“The truth of the matter is that many communities in Wales have been let down by a market failure. Private companies are not willing to invest in infrastructure for little or no return, which is why government investment in infrastructure is so important. Plaid in government recognises that small businesses, especially in rural Wales need to be able to access high speed broadband in order to compete. That is why Ieuan Wyn Jones, the Welsh Economy Minister, recently announced that he will be investing in Broadband infrastructure which will mean that all businesses in Wales will have access to Next Generation broadband over the next 6 years.”
