Letter: BT deal: a return to 'fix-it' politics
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.From Mr Patrick Whitten
Sir: Labour's deal with BT on a broadband network seems puzzling ("Blair seals pact with BT", 6 October). To link up schools, colleges, libraries, hospitals, etc is at first sight a worthy aim. But with scores of cable, satellite and terrestrial TV channels, teletext, e-mail, even the dreaded Internet, what would they get in the way of programming and information that they don't have already? Anyway, many teaching hospitals have had their own fibre links for years, while most cable operators link their area schools just for goodwill. And it still begs the question of where the new services are to come from.
The cost to BT of such a "social" commitment is minimal, yet the benefits of being a dominant entertainment player against the cable companies are incalculable. Sir Iain Vallance will surely have earned his salary and dividends if he pulls this one off. But it is strange, too, that such a deal was arranged without consulting the industry as a whole, or even the regulator, Oftel. Not especially fair, perhaps.
Telecoms, a pounds 400bn global industry in which Britain has a keen international edge, should not be subject to such foibles. Discouragingly, Labour's deal betokens a throwback to its past "fix-it" attitudes to big utility businesses.
Meanwhile, politicians of all parties seem determined to latch on to the "superhighway", whatever that is - remember the wired society fiasco of the early Thatcher period? Despite 25 years in the industry, I've still not received my Superhighway Code. Has anyone else?
Yours sincerely,
Patrick Whitten
Chairman
CIT Research
London, W1
5 October
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments