[rescue] wire my house!

[Peter]

Mike Meredith <very at zonky.org> wrote:
[...]
> Still more expensive than the US, but there's a hidden advantage to
> the UK situation. If BT has enabled the exchange, and your line is
> ok, you can go to *any* ADSL ISP and get their service ... not being
> stuck with a clueless ISP who is the only provider in the area.

Not quite. The installation of DSLAMs in some exchanges have been
heavily-subsidised and you get a choice of BT and/or the quango that
paid for it. BT's retail broadband division is astonishingly clueless
and I doubt the quangos are any better. You don't have to be good if
you've got a monopoly and a blank government cheque.

This only affects a very tiny minority of lines which is why you won't
have encountered it. It's usually a surprise to the poor sods who try
to get ADSL from a decent ISP and then discover they have no choice in
the provider and they get BT instead.

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