Editor's Blog: Moving bits

It's the day before our office move over the long weekend (more on that in a moment) but it seems moving bits of the digital variety is much bigger news still. And understandably so.

No sooner do we hear half of UK households now have broadband of some sort than the ongoing row over when 'unlimited' means 'limited' cranks up a gear.

A month ago, price comparison outfit uSwitch.com did some research on UK service providers and wasn't happy with the number (almost all of them) that claim to offer 'unlimited broadband' - meaning there is no cap on the amount you cumulatively download over a period, usually a month - but in reality have 'fair usage policies'.

Fair usage sounds like a fine idea - it appeals to our sense of not wanting to see the rugby team staying at your hotel devour 95 per cent of the buffet - but in fact it's problematic. As uSwitch.com and others point out, what is the definition of the term 'excessive'?

So now there's an e-petition on the 10 Downing Street website asking the PM "to insist that Ofcom and the ASA [Advertising Standards Authority] stop broadband providers advertising 'unlimited' services that are in fact limited in the small print or by undefined fair use policies". At the time I'm penning this, it had more than 3,500 signatures. Make that e-signatures.

Not exactly burning cars on the streets and clenched fist salutes but it's something.

And uSwitch.com do single out provider Toucan for dumping their 'unlimited download' promise. Good for them. (And so glad Toucan dropped those terrible sponsor slots around CSI from a couple of years back. I'd have signed up to get rid of those.)

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Make note - this isn't a UK-specific problem. In the US, Verizon Wireless recently dropped the term 'unlimited' from its 5GB-per-month Broadband Access data plan.

I think the message here is simple. Consumers want providers to be honest with them. But as I heard someone say the other day at a roundtable debate (I paraphrase): "Companies make a choice between good customer service and marketing - and marketing is just more fun."

'Fun' is one word for it.

And that office move. Silicon Towers is upping sticks. Our publisher, CNET Networks UK, along with its stable of other fine business and consumer online publications, is moving from the historic Tower Hill area in London to the slightly less historic but very interesting South Bank, close to the Tate Modern in Southwark.

So, all being well, next week we'll be in our shiny new offices, which should actually make a difference to what you see on these pages. (More room for more staff, video and podcast studios - that type of thing.)

In the meantime, fingers crossed all the crates arrive, the lines get connected - and I can find my way there.

Have a good long weekend, if you're getting one.