ISP availability checkers may be at risk

It is rumoured that BT may be planning to penalise some ISPs for revealing too much information in their broadband availability checkers.

Every provider offering ADSL services will operate a coverage/availability checker, which is able to check the suitability of a building for broadband via input of a phone number or postcode.

It is considered that such a move would be likely to target any provider publishing the Virtual Path data of BT’s wholesale network too openly.

Customers using broadband ADSL share their bandwidth with other users on the same exchange. Part of the path this information takes is known as the Virtual Path.

It is considered that the publishing of such information, specifically where anybody can view the Virtual Path data of any exchange, may be in breach of BT’s Data Protection terms.

It is feared that some ISPs allowing too much open access to the details may find that BT could remove certain special tools from their use.