Community Fibre has called out BT and Virgin Media for “stifling” and “confusing” customers, making it harder for them to leave and join other service providers.

The move comes as, earlier this month, Ofcom announced it was going to stop internet providers from “misleading customers” about the technology being used to deliver their internet.

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According to Community Fibre CEO, Graeme Oxby, Ofcom should be “outraged on behalf of the public that BT, Virgin and others continue to stifle and slow down competition and confuse customers.”

He said: “If broadband providers use any copper to deliver the service, they shouldn’t tell consumers that it is fibre as that is ‘fibre fibbing’.

“Those companies who don’t provide 100% full fibre have been misleading customers for years and should implement ‘technology truthfulness’ in all their communications without any further delay.”

Rather than waiting for Ofcom to fine the offenders, Oxby has challenged The One Touch Switching Company (TOTSCo), the organisation sanctioned and supported by Ofcom and funded by BT, Virgin and Vodafone, alongside the big players to pull their socks up and deliver the one-touch switching service for 14 March 2024.

He added: “Consumers want it, competition requires it and the Regulator has mandated it, so let’s get on with it.”

Mobile Marketing Magazine has contacted BT and Virgin Media for comment.