ACCAN made a submission in response to the ACCC’s proposed enhancements to the Broadband Speeds Claims – Industry Guidance. ACCAN submitted that to avoid misleading the consumer telco retailers should:

  • Use the lowest end of any speed ranges provided by a wholesale product in off-peak speed marketing information, and RSPs should inform consumers if the off-peak speed changes;

  • Not advertise ‘burst speeds’ – off peak high speeds that are only occasionally available for short periods – as off-peak speeds;

  • Be transparent about the suitability and quality of their plans and products for online gaming, taking into account periods when the broadband network has high traffic demand;

  • Provide faster connection speeds in plans for online gaming to deliver a good customer experience, particularly in current circumstances where COVID-19 work from home and home schooling restrictions are increasing the strain on the broadband network;

  • Disclose the geographical limitations of broadband services with speeds higher than 100Mbps;

  • Disclose to consumers the need for additional equipment to achieve full speeds of an advertised plan;

  • Adopt standard prescriptive labelling that will provide clarity, inform consumer choice and increase consumer protection; and

  • Clearly indicate where wholesale products have different download and upload speeds, especially as consumers are more dependent on upload speeds when working from home under COVID-19 restriction.


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