Ofcom urged to oversee UK broadband

The House of Lords, after considering the Digital Economy Bill, is urging Ofcom - the UK's telecommunications watchdog - to set up a scheme which deals with broadband complaints and faults, it has been reported on parliament.uk's news portal.

The changes seek to make broadband service providers more accountable to Ofcom. This will allow users to take complaints about their broadband service to a major body which can then deal directly with the ISP (Internet Service Provider), allowing broadband issues to be resolved and VoIP traffic to flow smoothly.

The legislation will make ISPs and line providers make changes, when faults occur, to repair or upgrade the relevant systems so that they reach a better standard than that which existed prior to the complaint.

Potential ramifications of this recommendation lie in the complex bureaucratic systems which currently hinder communication and adjudication between line providers and ISPs, however it is hoped that this bill will go some way towards fixing the issue.

Ultimately, the main effect of this recommendation, if incorporated, will be to increase the recourse broadband users have when reporting a problem and speed the ISPs and line providers into responding to any complaints, boding well for VoIP traffic in the future.