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Interested in lobbying BT for Broadband access?
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us!
My neighbour can get broadband. Why can't I?
This issue has raised itself
many many times.
Why can a neighbour get broadband and not you? The real reason, I imagine, is that the
BT number checker database sometimes gets it just plain wrong. People trust
the authoritative, response they get from BT's oracle.
If your neighbour is "green" their ISP will process the order. The broadband ADSL
signal will work well beyond BT's safe limit of 6km. Your neighbour will probably be
successfully connected. You're still
languishing with dial-up and your neighbour has broadband.
ISP's cannot process broadband orders if you are "red".
In fact if you begin to question why you are "red". It can't be a technical
reason - one of your neighbours can get broadband. One has it - may be all your
neighbours has it. Have you paid your phone
bills? Is it your background? Your school reports did say "could do better."
No. The BT number checker database relies on data entered from old manual
paper based records. Mistakes happen.
The success of your broadband order
depends on what the number checker says.
Why we keep quiet about our broadband enabled neighbours.
This is not out of shyness, embarrassment, or any unduly strict reading of the
Data
Protection Act.
What would happen if BT found that your Broadband enabled neighbours should not be allowed to have Broadband
after all?
For example: you are trying to get broadband and have been
"failed". Your neighbour, Mrs Happy, has the service, but her phone cable is discovered to be
longer than the 6km limit. BT is within its rights to disconnect Mrs Happy's
Broadband. BT could justify their action by arguing that Mrs Happy's
installation was a mistake, and could cause
interference with other neighbour's telephone services.
So when I get
email from members saying "My neighbour can get broadband. Why can't I?" I tread
carefully. If we mention "Mrs Happy" to BT, and BT then disconnected Mrs Happy's
broadband, your name, and the group's reputation, would be mud.
I'm not
suggesting that BT would disconnect Mrs Happy deliberately in a sense of spite, but
I feel that your neighbours would not want their details mentioned to BT if
there was any risk of disconnection.
A couple of our members have been retrospectively disconnected following a BT
reappraisal.
We have to tread carefully!
BT Pilot Initiatives
BT have responding to the concerns raised above. They emailed the following two initiatives launched on
Wednesday 31st March. These initiatives will be of specific interest to members
that cannot get broadband, but their neighbours can.
BT will not disconnect a customer because he/she is over the decibel limit,
regardless of whether their neighbour can or cannot get broadband. In the
small number of cases where an individual has broadband over the decibel
limit and consistent service problems which cannot be resolved are being
experienced, BT may need to cease the service.
We'll also make every effort to ensure a neighbour who can't get broadband,
while his neighbour can, has his/her line checked thoroughly.
In order to support this approach we launched two pilot initiatives on
Wednesday 31st March.
The following scenario outlines how the new initiatives work:
PILOT INITIATIVE - ENSURING THAT THE NEIGHBOUR WHO CAN'T GET BROADBAND
HAS THEIR LINE CHECKED THOROUGHLY:
1. A potential broadband customer believes their line should be capable of
providing broadband because their neighbour has it.
2. The potential customer contacts their preferred Service Provider,
typically via the online 'contact us' feedback channel, and explains that
they want ADSL broadband, the number checker says they can't have it, but
they can't believe this because their neighbour has ADSL broadband. The
potential customer also requests that BT under take a more thorough
investigation of their line.
3. Ideally the potential customer also supplies their neighbour's broadband
enabled telephone number, with the consent of their neighbour.
4. The ISP then forwards the case to BT, where a dedicated channel has been
set up for investigating such cases.
5. Next, BT Wholesale receive the request and complete a detailed line test.
If this test indicates that a condition exists on the ordinary telephone
line which could be the cause of the 'RED' or broadband not available line
checker results, BT will send an engineer to investigate. If a fault is
found the engineer will rectify this and then carry out a potential ADSL
line test. No re-routing work will be undertaken on any cables except to fix
a fault on the existing telephone line.
6. There is no guarantee that BT will be able to convert the line to a
'GREEN' or broadband capable line as a result of the test. Ordinary
telephone lines can be cleared of existing fault conditions but even this
will not ensure broadband service if the line is outside the current
technological limits of ADSL broadband service or if the end user is using
services on their telephone line that are not compatible with ADSL.
PILOT INITIATIVE - ENSURING THAT THE NEIGHBOUR WHO CAN GET BROADBAND (BUT
IS OVER THE LIMIT) DOES NOT HAVE THEIR BROADBAND SERVICE DISCONNECTED
This pilot initiative will ensure that existing broadband customers who are
over the distance limit or decibel loss limit, are able to keep their
service. Such cases arise when our line checker provides a false GREEN and
the customer purchases the broadband only to find that it doesn't work or
doesn't work reliably. In these cases BT will send engineers to re-route the
customers line.
Both pilot initiatives have been designed to ensure that potential Service
Provider customers are treated consistently and that all reasonable measures
are taken to provide ADSL broadband service. The Service Provider community
was briefed by BT on this initiative on March 31st.
Kind regards,
Bradley Borum
Customer Satisfaction & Business Improvement Mondial House PP4.33B
90-94 Upper Thames St.
London EC4R 3UB |
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