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This lack of trust is only compounded by how the truth of any broadband policy is buried in the fine print, or the Fair Use Policy (FUP), the topic so often discussed in the forums on websites like Think Broadband.

FUPs are wonderfully ambiguous things. Some ISPs can be quite forthcoming, explaining in detail the guidelines in which they are applied to avoid excessive use, especially at peak times. However, others are not so forthcoming, relying instead on vague assertions that do little to provide any insight or assurance to the customer.

As such, when customers are hit by these fair usage policies it can often cause a great deal of consternation and anger. Indeed, even when ISPs are honest about the guidelines it can cause problems, since any hint that they are applying rules unfairly or incorrectly can cause massive damage to reputations and overall opinions.

One such company to suffer from this of late is Virgin Media, whose ADSL customers have complained of excessive capping during peak hours and generally poor service all round. Suggestions that the company doesn't regard its ADSL services as important as its Cable offerings (Think Broadband) have only exacerbated the problem, spreading further disharmony among consumers.

And don't think for a moment such events only affect Virgin Media, or any other ISP with similar issues. Unfortunately, all such problems reflect very poorly on the industry as a whole, perpetuating the lack of trust and confusion among consumers.

Indeed, one must only look at some of the satisfaction surveys supplied on Think Broadband to see this in effect. Though some smaller ISPs come out well, due in part to the smaller samples, all the largest suppliers have distinctly mediocre satisfaction levels. Even presuming these numbers are skewed due to the higher number of responses, especially from those who have had particularly bad experiences; this isn't an especially encouraging trend and one that only generates a vicious circle of scepticism.

But, is there any good news on the horizon? Maybe. After a slow start ADSL2+ services are quickly expanding across the country, bringing with them lower prices and higher speeds. However, we're still seemingly a long long way away from the sort of fully fibre-optic infrastructure offered by the likes of Sweden and Finland, where 100Mbps connections are readily available. Until then, we're just going to have to continue to read the fine print closely and pray to the gods of the local BT exchange. Good Luck.

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