The ACCC's push to force telcos to reveal real-world download speeds misses the point, it should demand they fix the problems.

We all know that you can't take your Internet Service Provider's quoted download speeds seriously. Your home HFC cable connection might promise 100 Mbps, but it can still grind to a halt when your neighbours' kids get home from school and hit Netflix. Meanwhile ADSL2+ might offer a theoretical maximum of 20 Mbps over your copper phone line, but you're unlikely to see those speeds unless you live next door to the telephone exchange.

We need Australian telcos to fix broadband traffic jams, not simply tell us exactly how choked the roads are. Credit:Jason South

The truth is that your mileage may vary, regardless of the technology used to deliver broadband to your door. Some of these issues are beyond your ISP's control, such as your distance from the telephone exchange or your neighbours' downloading habits. Others are within your ISP's control, such as the condition of the network or the amount of bandwidth they purchase from the network provider to service their customers.

It's been this way for decades but the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has finally decided to come to our rescue, sort of. Rather than forcing Australia's internet providers to fix the problems which they can control, instead the ACCC simply wants the internet providers to admit how bad things really are.