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Sky, Vodafone and TalkTalk respond to BT CEO’s complaints that they have been using ‘Orwellian tactics’ in their arguments.
Sky, Vodafone and TalkTalk defended their campaign to improve broadband access across the UK, after the CEO of BT accused them of misleading consumers and “talking down” Britain.
In an open letter to Gavin Patterson, the three UK-based companies said they welcomed BT’s commitment to engaging in the debate but stressed that the “service Openreach provides today is unacceptable and must improve”.
Vodafone, Sky and TalkTalk launched the “Fix Britain’s Internet” in July and have tried to persuade consumers to complain to Ofcom about the broadband services they received. This forms part of ongoing efforts by BT rivals and others to bring about a break-up of BT and its Openreach division.
The launch of the campaign has clearly been a major irritant to Patterson, not least because of the negative statements about BT that have been plastered all over the campaign’s web site.
In a letter seen by the Financial Times, Patterson wrote to Dido Harding, CEO of TalkTalk; Jeremy Darroch, CEO of Sky; and Vittorio Colao, CEO of Vodafone Group to complain about what he described as their “Orwellian tactics”, accusing them of painting “an unfairly diminished view of connectivity across the UK” and making “a number of misleading statements”.
In their response, the three rivals dismissed BT’s complaints and said they are concerned that the UK will not gain “a truly world-class national broadband network” if Openreach’s strategy and budget remained controlled by BT Group.
The letter addressed issues ranging from the amount that BT pays for Premier League rights packages – using money that the three rivals said could be invested in the UK broadband – and BT’s reliance on copper.
“Although BT believes G.Fast is fit for the future, as your customers we simply do not,” the rivals said.
