The guidelines, released by the ACA for public scrutiny today, are intended to provide consumers with a means to make informed choices when choosing an ISP. Currently the regulator is content with suggestions that consumers use ratios and averages to predict an ISP's performance.
To predict the performance characteristics of an ADSL and cable modem service provider, consumers will be given a ratio of off-peak delivery speeds to peak-hour delivery speeds. Similarly, dial-up providers would be required to provide customer-to-modem ratios and average peak bandwidth usage for the busiest hour of the day to indicate performance.
A low measure in either case indicates a higher likelihood of gaining access to the service, but at this stage the guidelines do not compel ISPs to use more explicit numerical measures. Notably broadband providers have no obligation to indicate the number of users accessing a node.
ACA spokesperson Alan Chalmers conceded that the indicators proposed at this stage favour giving consumers a measure of performance in term access rather than speed, but stressed that the guidelines were still in draft form.
"There's very much a need for wider comment about whether to use the expressions contained in the guideline, particularly on whether the performance measures are correct, because that was the area of the guideline where there was the least agreement," Chalmers said.
According to the ACA, the performance indication methods were chosen to account for performance variations across the course of a day. It also said that discussions with industry representatives revealed that consumers simply wouldn't understand "much of the technical information in relation to service performance".
The ACA is accepting public submissions on the guidelines until May 13, 2002. It is also holding public consultation meetings regarding the guidelines in capital cites throughout Australia over the coming month.
Typical excuses by industry to avoid their responsibility. The mushroom attitude at work again.
It also said that discussions with industry representatives revealed that consumers simply wouldn't understand "much of the technical information in relation to service performance".
I'll bet T(H)elstra DOES not want to reveal their performance figure for Broadband.It been so lousy for the past 18 months.