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Am I #FreeToSwitch?

If the price of your broadband is going up above inflation,
find out if you are free to switch, penalty-free to another provider.

Am I #FreeToSwitch?

If the price of your broadband is going up above inflation,
find out if you are free to switch, penalty-free to another provider.

Free to Switch Citizen’s Jury

With everything going up, we’re all searching for the best deal. Broadband is a life essential – and many deals lock you in for a year or more. It’s a big decision for the household budget. So, how do you choose the best one?

We asked six ordinary consumers to rate the best broadband deals (as of November/December 2022). But did any of them spot the hidden price rises…?

UK’s big broadband firms set for £1.7bn windfall with above inflation price rise ¹

1.1 million households are struggling to afford their fixed broadband service ²

25.9 million households are affected by the unfair broadband price rises ³

The major broadband providers

are getting away with putting up prices in the middle of your contract.

Why? Sneaky small print lets them bake in price rises every single year.

And if you’re stuck in a contract, there’s nothing you can do about it.

Bet you didn’t know that when you signed up.

Thanks to this practice,

broadband customers are once again facing new increases:
this time up to 14% ⁴

For nothing extra in return.

So, we’re fighting for a simple principle: the price you
signed up for should be the price you pay.

No small print, no confusing language.

Just transparency and fairness. Because a deal’s a deal.

And if a broadband provider decides to put up bills in the middle of your contract, you should be free to switch, penalty-free.

We’re campaigning for government and Ofcom to change the rules, end the unfairness and put customers back in control.

But we’re not waiting for them to act.

We’re making it free to switch now.

For customers stuck in a spiralling contract, they can switch to Hyperoptic now and get up to 9 months’ free broadband to cover it.

Check if you’re free to switch and join our campaign for fairer broadband

We called on Ofcom to investigate mid-contract price rises

Price rises in small print are catching out broadband customers. Hyperoptic has written to the head of Ofcom calling on the telecoms regulator to investigate above-inflation mid-contract price rises in the industry.
In a letter to Dame Melanie Dawes, Hyperoptic said it was “extremely concerned” at the scale of the practice and added that the lack of consumer awareness “alarms us”.

Breaking News Campaign Update:

Ofcom and CAP conducting investigation into whether telecoms companies are misleading consumers about inflation-busting bill increases when promoting deals in their marketing campaigns

UK advertising watchdog launches an investigation into whether telecoms companies are misleading consumers about inflation-busting bill increases when promoting deals in their marketing campaigns.

The companies make billions of pounds annually from price rises to mobile and broadband bills midway through contract periods – adding to biggest cost of living squeeze facing households in generations.

92% are worried about the rising cost of living.*

88% think that the rules need to be changed to allow you to be free to switch, penalty-free.*

94% would switch mid-contract to get a better deal, if the rules allowed.*

Helpful guides to get the most out of your broadband

Most popular FAQs

¹UK’s broadband firms set for £1.7bn windfall with above-inflation price rises

²Affordability of Communications Services

³27.8m total households based on: https://www.ons.gov.uk/

⁴Broadband customers could face bill hikes of £113 in 2023, Which?, 15 October 2022

*Based on survey of 1001 broadband bill payers conducted by Forefront Market Research 24 Feb 2022