A new regulation, coming in the form of an amendment to telecommunications law Germany's, could radically change the relationship between consumers and Internet service providers (ISPs). Under the draft, customers would be able to test their Internet speeds and, if they find a large discrepancy between the actual results and what their ISPs promised them, they would be entitled to a discount on their bill.
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The amount of the discount will be proportional to the discrepancy between the actual and promised speeds.
To determine their connection speeds, consumers should use the official measurement app speed Internet, provided by Germany's Federal Network Agency.
The measurement procedure includes 20 tests over two consecutive days (10 each day).
Germany suggests that consumers use the method of continuous checks to ensure that speed deviations are repetitive and/or continuous and not the result of a momentary problem in the network.
If download and upload speeds are below 90% of the numbers promised by the ISP, the customer is entitled to a discount on the bill.
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The new regulation appears to be coming to protect consumers in Germany. According to German consumer protection authorities, discrepancies in Internet speeds affect over 50% of Internet users in the country.
Thus, the new law will help change this situation and will give an incentive to Internet service providers (ISPs) to deliver on their promises and offer better quality of service.
Currently, in most parts of the world, consumers pay a fixed price for specific contracts and receive whatever speed is technically possible for their area.
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However, this often unfairly treats some consumers, as they may pay the same amount for the same service package, but have worse Internet speeds than some other users.
Many times, we see users complaining on social media about their ISPs and the Internet speeds they offer. Some take more drastic measures and file complaints with the relevant consumer protection agencies.
In this respect, the German law offering bill discounts for speed deviations is a major win for consumers.
It is said that the new law will come into effect in December 2021.
Source: Bleeping Computer
