ISPs to Publish Traffic Management Policies

Major UK internet service providers have announced plans to give users a more transparent view of their traffic management policies thanks to a new initiative from the Broadband Stakeholder Group.

BSG today confirmed that BSkyB, BT, O2, TalkTalk, Three, Virgin Media and Vodafone will sign a voluntary commitment to provide better and more easily comparable traffic management information for consumers. The commitment will see information on traffic management techniques provided in a common format and will lead to a better understanding among customers as to why connection speeds are sometimes varied and if certain services are blocked or prioritised.

BSG lists the three basic commitments of the code are as follows:

• Firstly to provide more information to consumers about what traffic management takes place, for what purpose and with what impact.
• Secondly to comply with a set of good practice principles on providing information to consumer that is: understandable; appropriate; accessible; current; comparable; and verifiable.
• Thirdly to publish a common Key Facts Indicator (KFI) table, summarising the traffic management practices they use for each broadband product they currently market, which will be available on ISPs’ websites by end of June 2011. Interested customers will be able to access this information directly, however third parties, such as price comparison websites will be encouraged to communicate this comparable information to consumers in an easily accessible way.

John Hunt, CEO of Broadband.com said the code should be seen as a positive step toward simplifying broadband terminology for consumers.

"Broadband has been clouded with unclear technical terms for years, with some vital information often hidden behind unclear 'fair-usage policies,'" Hunt said in an emailed statement.

"This move by major broadband providers to adopt a standardised approach to describing traffic management should help demystify this area, allowing consumers to compare their options easily and make a more informed choice about which broadband product is best for them."

According to BSG, the code will be piloted in 2011 and its implementation will be reviewed in early 2012. Currently, the involved signatories account for 90 percent of all fixed-line broadband customers and 60 percent of all mobile customers in the UK, but BSG is hopeful that more ISPs will sign up following the launch.