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Nowadays there is a proliferation of broadband speed tests on the internet. These have arisen in response to the growing difference between the speeds advertised by Internet Service Providers (ISP's) and the speeds actually received by consumers. More and more customers are finding that their speeds are far lower than what they are paying for and research by Moneysupermarket.com in 2007 showed that 44% of 43,000 customers were receiving only a pitiful HALF of the advertised speeds for their internet connections. This massive difference between advertised and received speeds has finally caught the attention of communication regulator OFCOM.

OFCOM has warned ISP's that they must be more transparent about the actual speeds consumers are receiving and there are calls from consumer panels to make ISP's contact customers within a fortnight of joining to inform them of their exact actual top speeds. OFCOM has also introduced, since Valentine's Day this year, important regulatory changes that give consumers freedom to switch ISP's if they are not happy with the service and speeds.

In the past ISP's could bully consumers into staying with them by charging them for changing providers and by creating delays that left consumers without a broadband connection for weeks, a situation that forces a lot of people to reluctantly remain with a provider they were unhappy with. Under OFCOM's new regulations, ISP's can no longer charge for switching to new providers. They must also ensure that the Migration Authorisation Code (MAC), the code which is given to customers to give to their new providers, is passed on within five days of the request. In the past ISP's would wait weeks before giving these codes to customers, in order to deter them from changing. Now under the new regulations consumers are protected from this practice.

These changes are part of what will be a continuing development of adequate regulatory standards that are needed for the booming broadband industry. As it becomes more integral to daily life, and bandwidth becomes more valuable, we will need to ensure that consumer rights are protected.

With these changes in mind, now is a really good time to do a test of your broadband speeds to ensure that you are getting what you are paying for, and that you CAN get what you are paying for. With many of the previous obstacles to changing providers removed, consumer freedom is far greater and worth taking advantage of to ensure you the best deal.

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In this the third and final part of my guide to choosing broadband we've hopefully now got all the information and details you'll need for either getting your first broadband supply started or have all the ammo for pulling the trigger on your old supplier and getting cheaper broadband elsewhere.

Leaving for pastures new

First of all when switching broadband you should firstly check out the competition and see what they offer, it may be the case that your current supplier offers the best deal there is, however in some cases people's suppliers offer much better deals to new customers only, like a certain bank, in extreme cases people have left their supplier only to sign right back up again to take advantage of the better deals. If you find that there is another supplier that offers better deals in line with the details you should have from the previous parts to this guide then maybe you should enquire about switching to them.

For argument's sake I'll say I'm going to change from one supplier to a cheaper one, in order to make sure you aren't left with no Internet (and TV and Phone if you are switching everything to one provider) it is best to organize your new supplier first, they normally will take a month to set everything up, which is good because your current supplier takes a month after you give your notice that you're leaving. This time frame is just an average and could be different for your supplier so be careful to check before going ahead.

Sometimes when you are leaving your current supplier you can ask for your MAC code, this works in a similar way to keeping your mobile phone number when you change networks, and just like mobile phones when you ask for this code the company will panic and offer better deals in the hope that you'll reconsider, if they do this and it is sufficient then by all means take them up on their offer and you've completed your mission to find cheap broadband.

But if you aren't getting anywhere with them then continue your switch over to the new supplier, by now the old supplier will have given you your MAC code and you need to relay this to your new supplier. In most cases this is all you'll need to do, sometimes new connections may need a BT line and if you don't have one (i.e. you are currently with Virgin/NTL/Telewest) then it may take longer for them to setup your line. In cases like this or where a technician is going to come out and setup your connection for you or install a wireless router then chances are you may have to take the morning off work to let the technician in and oversee the procedure.

Most basic Broadband setups take only half an hour to complete, with wireless setups taking slightly longer. Once it is done and you're connected then you're done, cheap broadband at a price and speed that's good for you.

Just remember that if you are considering making the jump to a new supplier to get all the details laid out in this guide as it will save time and also let the salesmen on the telephone know that you know your stuff and are less likely to be coerced into a package that is surplus to your requirements.

If you are looking for cheap broadband whether you have an existing provider or not then you can compare broadband deals online. Also if you are thinking about changing your supplier then check your connection using one of the various broadband speed test websites to see whether you are getting your money's worth.