Doesn't matter how you advertise speeds, the problem is Joe Public has no idea that broadband is subject to the laws of physics and will expect to get whatever speed they ask for. Its amazing how many people think they will get faster speeds by upgrading to BT Infinity2 despite connecting at lower than the Infinity1 cap.
Exactly that. A large portion of my day is spent reciting the same info (in layman's terms), to EU's regarding this subject matter. Patting myself on the back for a second, I know I put it over to them in an understandable format as they for the very most part are interested in what I have to say, and usually drop a comment like, "You should be a teacher".
As I've mentioned many times, a large chunk of my own learning has come from this very forum, but if you start quoting SNR, attenuation, cable poundages, etc ... at unwitting EU's, you lose them instantly. No-one wants a physics lesson on a wet Monday morning after I've dragged them out of bed
I honestly think deeper awareness for the EU is definitely key, but how the ISP's do this at a reasonable operating cost I have no idea, maybe a link to an easy understanding web-site when they are looking to place an order