Ofcom to regulate switching between ISPs

bbb_uk

Today Ofcom have announced they plan on regulating ISPs and hopefully make switching broadband providers more consumer friendly and possible.

Currently, ISPs can choose whether or not to offer MAC (Migration Authorisation Codes) to enable us consumers to switch broadband providers more easily.

Ofcom's consultation on this ends 5th October and more information can be found on The Register, or, Ofcom's page here.

Guy_Wise

Yep, very good news, as long as it's not just talk and does eventually get implemented.

You can probably thank the long suffering e7even users for this issue being raised.
They, rightly, are very sceptical of anything being produced from Ofcom after all the *fob-offs* coming out of that dept.

Let's hope it isn't just talk and not just a pretence to make us believe that they are actually *doing something*

We shall see . . .

bbb_uk

The problem is that Ofcom live in a dream world where they think that by asking these companies would they consider doing this "voluntary", that they'll ALL go, "oh yes we would love to", which then saves Ofcom having to do anything. In reality, this doesn't actually work hence why then Ofcom have to do something via regulation and thereby forcing these companies to do what they (and Ofcom) didn't want to do in the first place.

A similar thing happened over 999 emergency number. Ofcom wanted to propose that VoIP telco's "voluntary" offered to support the 999 emergency number service but the HomeOffice didn't like this and actually took the unusual step to writing to Ofcom over this.

Not to go too far off-topic, here is a snipet of what HomeOffice wrote to Ofcom:

I am writing on behalf of the Home Office, the Police Service and other agencies to express concern about the light-touch approach Ofcom is taking to ensuring the availability of access to the emergency services to users of VoIP services, as set out in Ofcom's further consultation on the regulation of VoIP services.

We are dealing here with an important public safety issue, with the possibility of thousands of consumers living and working without immediate means of summoning emergency assistance, and very possibility, without the knowledge that they are in such a situation. That is too important an issue to leave entirely to the marketplace to resolve...

This was discussed on SayNo here.

Guy_Wise

I agree, i'm sure Ofcom would much prefer a voluntary code, that's why my earlier post sounded a little sceptical.

As we have just seen with the e7even fiasco, a voluntary code will not work when you get the wholesalers, Tiscali and Netservices conspiring with third parties on how to make money out of end users, hence the recent e7even/Ezeedsl *hijacking*.

That sort of activity is very sharp practice and disgraceful. No doubt the hassle Ofcom received over this episode was a major contribution to their re-thinking. I suspect that Ofcom have received an absolute *storm* of complaints, and queries, from all directions, so hopefully that will be enough for change to happen.

But, as i said, we shall see. They have opened files in the past which appeared to come to nothing.

Perhaps they are concerned that if the wholesalers are allowed to get away with this episode, then it could happen again on a much wider scale.

Thanks for the link, good to see that the Home Office recognise Ofcom have got it wrong on occasions, but i don't see them stepping in to defend the poor broadband customers, unfortunately.
("Ofcom's light-touch approach" is more diplomatic than toothless watchdog )

Like i said in a post, just the day before yesterday, if Ofcom can't help out and put in the required regulation to prevent the likes of the recent *hijacking* debacle, then what is the point of Ofcom.

If Ofcom do enforce this new code, removing the voluntary bit, then it will be a major benefit for broadband users of all ISPs, but I think the pressure needs to be kept on Ofcom to ensure they do deliver.

.

bbb_uk

Just reading this consultation and I noticed the following which I didn't know:-

1.14 Problems also arise where a broadband supplier fails to provide its customers with a working broadband service, but then does not respond to customers’ requests for MACs. A particularly acute example of the difficulties that consumers can face when they are unable to get MACs was the recent withdrawal of broadband provider E7even from the consumer market. Two of E7even’s wholesale suppliers, Tiscali and Netservices, were unwilling to release E7even’s customers once E7even had terminated their contracts. They instead gave customers a choice: to move to a specific broadband provider to resume service quickly – by signing up to a 12-month contract costing £19.99 per month which was higher than a number of alternative providers – or in all likelihood to have no broadband service for several weeks.

I found this a disgrace and if Ofcom had not gone via the "lighter-touch" and therefore have no regulation but hope that providers would volunteer then this wouldn't have happened especially as paragraph 1.13 where they state that because Ofcom only made it voluntary then Ofcom was powerless to do anything.

1.13 Ofcom has found evidence of a significant number of customers facing disruption because they have had difficulty obtaining a MAC from their existing supplier. However, the voluntary nature of the MAC process has meant that broadband providers that make it difficult for customers to obtain MACs are unlikely to be in breach of any formal obligations. As a result, Ofcom has, until now, been largely powerless to act.

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I believe this highlights what I mentioned in a previous post that Ofcom live in a dream world where companies like these and the many others act in a honest, responsible way and therefore would follow voluntary guidelines.

In reality, I've yet to witness this and it has taken Ofcom ages to finally come up with regulation despite Ofcom admitting that over 1,000 people each week complain to Ofcom about migration problems.

DonnyDave

bbb_uk wrote:

I found this a disgrace and if Ofcom had not gone via the "lighter-touch" and therefore have no regulation but hope that providers would volunteer then this wouldn't have happened especially as paragraph 1.13 where they state that because Ofcom only made it voluntary then Ofcom was powerless to do anything.

It is Ofcom's way to shut the stable door after the horse has bolted.

Look at porting/migrating numbers on mobiles. Why should anyone need to change a number? Apart from when receiving nuisance or malicious calls, a mobile number should be able to retained when someone switches provider or tariff.

mrJ_5

... i thought that you could move your number between providers - at least, i know someone who did

DonnyDave

DonnyDave wrote:

Look at porting/migrating numbers on mobiles. Why should anyone need to change a number?...

mrJ wrote:

... i thought that you could move your number between providers - at least, i know someone who did

You can move numbers between provides, but there was a time when you couldn't. The point I was making was that providers often don't allow you to keep the same number when you are wanting to take out a new contract on the same network, or will charge you more (or won't give you the same offer) than if you took a new number. IMHO Ofcom should stamp out this discrimination.

derrick

Ofcon/consultation ? now where have I heard that before :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:
Another paper excercise by the inefficient Ofcon

bbb_uk

There is about 2 weeks left before this consultation is closed and therefore would recommend everyone to respond especially for those that have suffered MAC issues (a very common theme I've observed).

This is really just to make sure that Ofcom are aware of just how many customers have had MAC issues and in some cases the lies that were told.