Broadband: Fees and Charges

(asked on 13th April 2018) - View Source

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will ensure that the forthcoming Consumer Green Paper sets out provisions to ensure that broadband exit fees are charged at a rate that is fair to consumers.


Answered by
Margot James Portrait
Margot James
This question was answered on 18th April 2018

The Consumer Green Paper was published on 11 April. It seeks views on how to ensure that modern consumer markets work for all, both now and in the future, including in the telecoms sector. Government will consider the responses to the Consumer Green Paper and, working with independent regulators including Ofcom, will publish a response detailing how they plan to further protect customers.

Currently, contracts entered into on or after 1 October 2015 are covered by the unfair terms in consumer contracts protections in the Consumer Rights Act 2015. There are also protections under Ofcom rules (GC9.3) to ensure that conditions or procedures for contract termination do not act as a disincentive against changing provider. Additionally, Ofcom has the power to investigate communication providers' compliance and have an open enforcement programme on early termination charges: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/latest/bulletins/competition-bulletins/open-cases/cw_01199.

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