Spain - promises of higher speeds

Spanish Government Takes on False Promises about Internet Speeds

The Spanish government says that it is attempting to introduce new regulation that would prevent ISPs from advertising bandwidths higher than what the users actually receive, reports El País, citing remarks by industry minister Miguel Sebastián. If the government's plan becomes reality, ISPs would have to guarantee at least 80% of the advertised connection speeds.

Significance: The Spanish government's comments echo the sentiment shared by other European Union countries with developed broadband markets in that regulators and consumers alike have been disappointed with misleadingly marketed internet bandwidths, which often advertise the highest theoretical access speed the users may receive, but the actual bandwidth depends on proximity to the telephone exchange. The new regulations would create a more transparent marketplace. At the end of 2007, Spain had some 8 million broadband subscriptions.