We've meekly given in to the lies of internet service providers, and now readily accept that the claim "Up to 8mbps" is pretty meaningless in the real world.
The Brits have taken a look at this, and the results are actually worse than you might think. Consumer magazine *Which? *found last month that "up to 8mbps" really means 2.7mbps (on average), and Computeractive has just published a report on data gained from 100,000 tests carried out by 3,000 users. The results? 62% of users are getting less than half the claimed speeds, and a quarter of people are only getting a quarter speed connection.
Computeractive has started a campaign to target the advertising of broadband speeds, and while it's unlikely anyone will actually get a faster connection, at least the average mom or pop will know what they are really paying for: Current UK law allows the theoretical maximum speed to be advertised. The Crystal Clear Broadband campaign wants this changed to reflect what the customer will actually receive.
This could be one case where the British obsession with nannying the populace might actually be a good thing.
Brits ripped-off on broadband speeds [Computeractive]
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