The news
From February 14, next year, broadband suppliers will no longer be allowed to put barriers in your way if you want to switch to another operator, thanks to steps put in train by the industry's regulator Ofcom.
If you've ever tried to change to a different broadband supplier - to save money, get faster downloads or just because you were hacked off with the service - you might well think that Ofcom could hardly deliver a more pleasing Valentine's Day gift.
One of the dirty tricks that suppliers play to try to keep subscribers on board is to refuse (openly or otherwise) to provide them with the necessary MACs - Migration Authorisation Codes.
A MAC is what you need to make the switch-over take place with the least possible heartache and delay. Without one, the change to a different broadband supplier can result in your being offline for weeks and might never happen at all.
But Ofcom is changing the rules, so that broadband providers must supply subscribers with MACs on request - and free of charge.
Apparently, though, some providers have told Ofcom that they're not to blame. The problem, they allege, has sometimes been with the wholesale broadband supplier refusing to let them have MACs to pass on - because the two are in contract disputes.
Whether that's true or not, the new rules affect wholesale providers, too, forcing them to provide MACs to retail broadband providers, irrespective of any disputes.
Ofcom says it's also trying to find an alternative way to release MACs to consumers in situations where no one seems able to help - such as after a retail provider has gone down the pan. The regulator is promising consultations about this in the new year.
It also says that the new rules should lessen problems that arise when a consumers moves into a new home and finds that there's an existing broadband connection registered (or apparently registered) to a previous resident.
Ofcom reckons that the improved MAC-issuing process will help but that the new regs make broadband providers responsible for ensuring that problems like this don't stop consumers from switching.
Sounds like very good news - assuming, that is, Ofcom actually puts boot-to-bum when the new rules are flouted.
Ofcom's press release and a more in-depth statement are on page two and three. The full Monty, including background about the consultations that led up to the new rules, can be downloaded in PDF format here.
Had MAC or other switching/activation problems? Let us hear about them in this thread in the HEXUS.lifestyle.news forum and tell us your thoughts on what difference the new rules might have made had they been in place at the time - or will make in future.
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External.links
Ofcom - home pageOfcom - Broadband migrations - enabling consumer choice - Regulatory Statement (PDF download)
