Broadband News

Update from Milton Keynes

The details of the latest meeting between Broadband for Milton Keynes and BT is now online and can be found here. As stated in the reports summary "there is no quick fix" which highlights the ongoing nature of things.

Milton Keynes may seem to have an unfair amount of resources devoted to its problems at present, but in time once the problems are identified and solutions deployed, similar solutions can then be deployed around the other black-spots in the UK. So if you are currently out of reach of ADSL, then it is worth keeping an eye on the Milton Keynes developments.

One interesting case arises from a customer known as 'Mr Happy', it appears this customer has ADSL, where all their neighbours are unable to. BT has re-iterated that the online checker is 98% accurate, though many would choose to contest this figure. The accurracy may vary though from exchange to exchange, and one oddity that often appears is where users have had ADSL for a year or two, and the checker has changed from a yes you can have ADSL, to a your line is too long message. The Broadband Action Group have had clarification of BT Wholesales actions on lines that are already connected but subsequently found to be out of limits...

"If BT has supplied broadband service to a Service Provider's customer who is over the technical limit for RELIABLE broadband service, then the customer will continue to receive service.

Should that customer report a fault such as "Modem won't sync or can't download web pages" etc. then as per normal faulting procedures BT will test the line. If the line is over the technical limit for RELIABLE broadband service then the customer's Service Provider will explain to the customer that BT and the Service Provider will spend an amount of money to try and bring the line into technical specification.

If that work is successful then the customer will then receive reliable broadband service.

If the work does not improve the phone line then the customer's Service Provider will have to cease the broadband service 30 days later. The Service Provider may offer an alternative product. BT Wholesale will make a refund of some of the line rental money to the customer's Service Provider. It is the Service Provider who decides what refund, if any, to give to its customer.

This procedure was introduced on 30 November 2003"

For people who have lines that have gone out of limits for any reason this information is welcome news and reflects part of a sea change that ADSL and broadband are more of a core business now for BT.

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