Consumer watchdog's broadband prices call

Broadband firms have been urged to cancel "exorbitant" mid-contract price rises for vulnerable customers less than two weeks before they are due to take effect.

Millions of broadband and mobile phone customerscanexpecttofacemonthlybillincreasesofatleast14% from April if providers fail to heed the call from consumer watchdog Which?

Providersoften link their annual price rises to January'sconsumerprice index or the retail price index, which were 10.5% and 13.4% respectively.

BT, EE, Plusnet and VodafonebroadbandcontractsallowpricestogoupbyCPIplus 3.9%. At TalkTalk, it is CPI plus 3.7%, while Shell Energy can add CPI plus 3%. Sky and VirginMediacontractsallow mid-contract price increases but they do not stipulate a pricing formula as rivals.

BThasalreadyconfirmed an increase this year of 14.4% - CPI of 10.5% plus 3.9%.

Which? is calling on telecoms firms to "urgently" cancel the hikes for their most financially vulnerable customers and allow all customers to leave without penalty if they face mid-contract price rises.

Director of policy and advocacy at Which?, Rocio Concha, said: "Withlessthantwo weeks to go until April price increases take effect, it's hugely concerning that some providers have not taken action to protect financially-vulnerable consumers from these hard-to-justify above-inflation price hikes.

"Telecoms providers must cancel the price hikes for financially vulnerable customers, work to identify these customers and ensure they'renotfinanciallypenalised,eveniftheydon'ttakeup a social tariff."