London, 30 November 1999

For immediate release

Campaigners condemn BT's prevarication

In a speech to the Telecommunications Managers' Association annual
conference in Brighton on Tuesday, BT Chairman Sir Iain Vallance
admitted that BT had lost the battle for Internet prices, and would be
unwilling to modify their strategy, describing BT as a  "lollipop man
trying to restrain over-exuberant children". Describing the Internet
istelf, access to which currently accounts for a growing portion of
BT's revenue, as "in its infancy and not yet fit for purpose", the
UK's largest telecommunications operator appears to be pointing out
that its business strategy is wrong.

CUT Secretary Richard Sliwa said: "His patronising comments are not
only an insult to his highly-respected and highly-qualified immediate
audience, but a slap in the face of the UK Government which is trying
to promote the Internet as a means of communication and business. Sir
Iain is lucky he did not choose to answer questions at the Conference:
in all likelihood he would have been lynched".

CUT now calls upon BT shareholders to question whether BT's management
team should remain in their posts. Coupled with Sir Peter Bonfield's
paternalistic and insulting interview on BBC news on 11th November, it
is clear that they have no understanding of what is increasingly 
becoming their company's core business. 

In a keynote speech opening the Conference on Monday, Michael
Portillo, recently returned to Parliament, was close to admitting that
the way in which the government in which he was a Minister privatised
British Telecom in 1984 was not to the long-term benefit of the
country: "it was appropriate for the 1980's, but the world has moved
on and the telecoms infrastructure in the UK has to change as well". 

In response to a question from a CUT committee member,
Mr Portillo agreed with the current Government, campaigners and
Internet users that per-minute charging was stifling efective use of
the Internet in the UK and Europe and insisted that "something has to
be done as soon as possible". He promised that he would look into the
issue further.

Further information: 
TMA32: http://www.tmav-online.com/tma32/
CUT: http://www.unmetered.org.uk/

Contact:
Erol Ziya press@unmetered.org.uk
Press Officer, Campaign for Unmetered Telecommunications