Switching Broadband Providers

On 13^th December Ofcom announced new rules intended to ensure that customers are able to switch to a different broadband provider quickly and easily. This is all about being able to obtain a Migration Authorisation Code (MAC) which is necessary to be able to switch.

A MAC is unique and without one, switching is impossible. Now this shouldn't be a problem, except that there are circumstances where it is. If your broadband provider goes out of business or there is a contractual dispute between your provider and their wholesale provider things can go horribly wrong.

Hotel California Syndrome

One really frustrating situation occurs where your provider is obstructive. Some providers have dedicated teams whose job is not to give you a MAC. They are supposed to only give MACs to 25% of the customers who ask for one. So if you happen to be one of the other 75% you are out of luck. Someone I know only got a MAC from AOL after six months of repeated attempts. It's all a bit like the Eagles song Hotel California: "You can checkout any time you like, but you can never leave!"

Tag on the Line

Possibly worse is when there is a tag on your phone line. What this means is that a previous occupant has not cancelled their broadband service. Your provider is unable to connect you until this tag has been removed. At the moment the only way of resolving this is to complain to Ofcom and enter a kafkaesque nightmare which can take weeks to resolve and during this time you have no broadband.

At the moment there is a voluntary code of conduct but not every provider has signed up.

The new rules, which should improve things a great deal, come into effect on 14 February 2007.

The Ofcom press release is quite readable the actual document is less so.

A useful resource is the complaints form of the Internet Services Providers' Association (ISPA UK). Not every service provider is a member but this can give a hefty kick to those providers' which are members.

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