A new survey has revealed that Migration Authorisation Code's (MAC) continue to be an obstacle for consumers trying to swap between broadband providers. This is despite Ofcom reporting that the situation had improved, which ultimately lead to last year's closure of their enforcement programme.

However the new moneysupermarket.com survey claims 34% of people experienced a delay in getting their MAC; Ofcom requires ISPs to issue the code within 5 working days. Some 15% also admit they found the process too complicated, and 40% say they still don’t know what MAC codes are.

Ofcom's General Condition 22 (GC22) rule mandates that all applicable UK broadband ISPs (cable services and fully unbundled ISPs are excluded) must supply a MAC within 5 working days of request and free of charge. This means that customers cannot be held to ransom (prevented from leaving) by their ISP for any reason.

But since its introduction in February 2007 the number of related complaints has dropped (from 825 in March 2007 to 147 in September 2009) and thus the regulators enforcement programme was apparently deemed to be no longer necessary. The study suggests that MAC issues have not vanished and many may simply go unreported.

Indeed MAC problems caused 4% of respondents to completely give up on their efforts to change ISP, which is a small but none the less worrying figure. The growth of fully unbundled broadband ISPs has only added to the woes and can create additional costs when switching between ISPs on different platforms.