Consumers need more disclosure about Internet speed claims:advocacy group

OTTAWA – A new report says consumers need better disclosure from Internet providers about speed and performance claims.

The report by an Ottawa-based advocacy group says Canadians have high expectations of advertised Internet speeds, but get little information from providers to judge actual speeds.

The Public Interest Advocacy Centre’s report recommends the Competition Bureau consider specific enforcement guidelines on how advertising claims about Internet speeds are given to consumers.

It also wants the CRTC to collect performance data on Internet speeds and compare them with advertised claims.

The report says when a company advertises a maximum speed, consumers expect the maximum speed advertised will be achievable with their connection.

It also says 75 per cent of those surveyed didn’t know which Internet speed tier they have, even though 83 per cent identified download speed as being important when choosing a provider.