The Power of the Internet – or not

It is true the internet is a powerful thing. I don’t believe I could live without it.

But as a BT broadband user I am regularly frustrated at the lack of speed and therefore living with the internet at home is intolerable.

I love gadgets of all types and today most of them revolve around the internet: in-the-cloud services, such as Microsoft Office 365, Apple iCloud, online news; remote access devices such as LogMeIn and film downloads, live sport broadcasts. All of these are either essential for working from home or just fun to use and relax at home.

But when your home broadband speed is less than 1Mb (rated at 1.5Mb but with contention runs on average at 800k) then the internet is definitely not powerful – frustrating, annoying, exclusive – the list of descriptions and emotion is endless.

Last year we were told by BT that our broadband would be upgraded to fibre in Dec 2010. That then shifted – mysteriously, without any notification to Dec 2011. As September 2011 approached the date again shifted to March 2012. Annoying isn’t the word.

BT’s comment “We can’t guarantee when an upgrade will take place.

So today when I found out that it’s shifted again to Dec 2012 – again without notification – my blood boiled.

But what good is getting annoyed going to do? Nothing. BT just deliver the corporate line. Nobody at BT is interested. And, as consumers, paying full broadband pricing to BT we just have to grin and bare it!

The power of the internet, sadly, lies with the provider and not the consumer.