Posts by The Alphabet

ASA says 'unlimited' broadband can have 'moderate' limits on it

Dear ASA:

The definition of unlimited: "limitless or without bounds; unrestricted"

Traffic management policies that restrict speeds more than 0% contradicts the above term entirely. This is not a technical restriction (as in ADSL where you're too far from the exchange and can only get, for example, 3mb) but merely a capacity one.

Secondly the higher the headline speed, the more aggressive the reduction in speed becomes. So having 40% of a 120mb line cut because I'M USING IT TOO MUCH (*11GB or more downstream between 3pm and 8P)M is a ridiculous LIMIT who pay the top price to access exactly that.

Virgin Media boss to Osbo: Bung city fibre cash into small biz

I would argue that Virgin Media need to pump their cash into increasing capacity and network stability first, rather than forever increasing ever-increasing headline speeds to people just so they hit their traffic shaping "unlimits" faster.

But we don't always get what we want.

Official: Sky to buy O2 and BE's home broadband product in £200m deal

As soon as Sky changes its business strategy away from "acquisition mode" to "retention mode" the prices will go up and the quality will stagnate.

That will happen exactly around the time if they manage to leapfrog BT and become #1 and build up a big enough gap.

Having had multiple problems with Sky's customer service over just the TV package, this has just determined me to go and move away from Be to avoid being sucked in.

How is the LLU market effectively dead when Be was a great example of a niche provider who served its core focus very well? Not everyone can get/wants fibre.

BT's shock new wheeze: Make phone calls from smartphones

Isn't it easier to opt for the cheapest available landline service and use services that are available rather than the "convenience" of a brand you recognise?

We pay £11 for line rental + evening/weekend calls (+ caller display) at home, and i get 3000 minutes/3GB data for £15 with Orange. To call freephone numbers i use 0800 buster via my allowance, and saynoto0870 for all else.

Standard line rental with BT is £15.45, with caveats of minimum-calls-or-we-charge-you-a-month, plus your mobile allowance on top.

Texan schoolgirl expelled for refusing to wear RFID tag

Re: She has options

Our school simply maintained "security" by locking us in via 15 foot high anti-climb-paint-covered fences with CCTV pointed at all exits.

If you know someone cannot leave then they are, by implication, secure. If anyone inside was to come to harm or danger, it wouldn't go unnoticed for long because of all the people locked inside.

But then prison can be defined exactly the same way.

Governments block YouTube over that video

I believe humans are idiots. Things like this reinforce why.

Dixons Retail: A mirror held up to Europe

Re: Dixons have their place.

"It's in the interests of us all that they see out the downturn."

It's also in their best interests to better focus on on the market that they are in (which, lets be honest, is complex!) to provide detail and clarity.

I doubt they can constantly compete on price, which is fine, but they can easily compete on service as they have actual faces in shops to take advantage of.