Letters
12
Tell us what’s on your mind
What’s the Issue...?
I want Adobe Reader to open?
my PDFs, but Chrome seems to
have taken over. Didn’t you fix this
problem for another reader recently?
Trevor BengeCA SAYS We did, in Issue 625, page 66.When did you explain how to
use an eSIM on your phone? I
want to give it a go.
Keith EastonCA SAYS It was the
How To in Issue 618,
page 35.I’m fed up getting so much
spam, so want to try that service
for creating fake names. When did you
recommend it?
Simon ClaridgeCA SAYS In Issue 622’s ‘Fake Your
Identity Online’ Cover Feature, page 50.anymore (Letters, Issue 629). Russia’s
invasion of Ukraine is abominable, but
the chances of Putin being victorious
won’t depend on individuals in the West
uninstalling Kaspersky.
I’ve read some people attacking
Eugene Kaspersky’s failure to
condemn the invasion. But a far
bigger mistake was commenting
on it at all. He’s a Russian
businessman, not a spokesman
on Russia international affairs.
He should have stayed silent.
Nobody expected UK companies
to speak out against the invasion
of Iraq in 2003, even though
millions of people thought it
was illegal and immoral. I will only stop
using Kaspersky if it’s shown to be
unsafe. I doubt that will ever be the case.
Trevor DugganWell done BT for backtracking
on internet phones
Here’s something I never thought
I would say: well done BT! They
deserve praise for backtracking on their
plans to force internet phones on everyone
by 2025 (Issue 629, page 7). I had read
about the looming network switch-off
with some horror, predicting that it would
cause problems when the country
suffered mass power cuts. That’s precisely
what happened after February’s storms.
I live in a village in North Yorkshire
that was without power for just over 24
hours after Storm Arwen. Thankfully, it
wasn’t long enough to cause us severe
problems, but it was long enough to
make us question what would happen if
we had to rely on digital phone callsduring a power outage. I emailed BT to
query this, and a few weeks later they
reversed their policy. It must have been a
persuasive email!
Mal EdwardsCA SAYS Mal was one of several readers
to email us commending BT’s decision to
delay the roll-out of its digital phone
service. We share those sentiments.
Companies too often overestimate public
appetite for technological change. They
should do more to explain why changes
are needed, and not impose them until
measures are in place to help the most
vulnerable cope. One way to stay online
during a power cut is by using an
uninterruptible power supply - see page 60.BT took 20 days to reconnect
my father-in-law
Your article in Issue 628 (page 9)
regarding Openreach fixing 650
poles after February’s storms doesn’t tell
the whole story. My 85-year-old father-
in-law lost his landline two weeks before
the storms when Openreach toppled a
pole installing a new line. It narrowly
missed parked cars and cut off 12 homes.
BT seemed unconcerned despite his age
and vulnerability.
Replacing the pole and reconnecting
him took 20 days, and the compensation
he received didn’t cover the cost of buying
him a basic mobile phone that he’d need
so friends and family could contact him.
Similarly, our FTTP connection was
damaged when Openreach was installing
a new line and took out eight houses. It
was fixed within two days, but ours was
damaged again just two days later whenSocial tariffs stop small
providers from competing
Having read Issue 629’s ‘Question
of the Fortnight’ (‘Why aren’t
broadband firms promoting their social
tariffs?’), I’m not convinced
they’re such a good idea. I
bet if you asked the bosses
of the biggest broadband
firms they’d all say that
social tariffs should be
compulsory. This is because
the bigger the company, the
more likely they’d be able to
afford it. Regulation of this
kind is always welcomed by
the tech giants because they
know smaller rivals will struggle to afford it.
The big broadband firms need to sell
enough fast (and expensive) packages to
subsidise the cheaper (and possibly
loss-making) social tariffs. It’s a careful
balance that keeps the money rolling in.
New, smaller companies haven’t got a
chance of competing.
Ralph WoodsIf Ofcom wants more people using
social tariffs, they should stop using
that terrible name. A ‘tariff’ doesn’t sound
like something that could benefit you. It’s
more like a penalty you can’t avoid paying.
After seven minutes of brainstorming,
the best I could come up with was
‘Benefits Broadband’. This sounds more
positive, and also states who is eligible for
it. As is usually the case with re-branding
projects, I will charge Ofcom the rip-off
fee of £10,000 a minute for this work.
Susan ForresterYou were right to criticise BT’s
website for not promoting its Home
Essentials social tariff, but it’s only fair to
point out they now let you sign up for it
in their stores. My sister did this a few
weeks ago, and found the process easy to
follow, with helpful assistants who knew
how to check her eligibility. BT’s site has
more information: http://www.snipca.com/40942.
Sheila CowansWhy should Kaspersky have to
condemn the war?
I don’t doubt the sincerity of
Stephen Fryer’s feelings, but I
think it’s rather self-important to say his
“conscience” won’t let him use Kaspersky27 April – 10 May 2022 • Issue 630