Data Protection Act applications.

LailaAMP

We have a longstanding recurring but intermittent fault on our BT line that they seem reluctant to address. We live in a semi-isolated rural property that is the last on the line and our telephone is fed on an old underground line that engineers tell us needs replacing. Unfortunately the engineers recommend that cable be replaced only to be overruled by their managers on cost ground. We have been reporting the same fault for eleven years and are currently having it 'not dealt with' as part of an executive level complaint - they are telling us they want to issue their final position on the complaint, which seems to be along the lines of 'the phone and broadband don't work but there is nothing we can do".

Putting aside the dysfunctional relationship between BT Wholesale and BT Openreach for a moment, we are looking to gather as much evidence as possible for a complaint to the ombudsman. To that end, has anyone on here ever made an application under the Data Protection Act to find out what information BT held on their line and, if so, could you help with a little guidance.

Thanks.

forgotmyname

I maybe wrong but i think can only obtain information pertaining to yourself.

You wont get info on communication between BT and Openreach.

Can you get an SAR which should document all contact between yourself and BT and see what their internal response was?

I maybe wrong though...

mije1983

DPA only covers the processing of information regarding people, so any information they hold on your line will not come under a SAR request. As said by forgotmyname that will only produce information that BT hold on you personally.

onomatopoeia99

Your ISP needs to threaten BT Wholesale with legal action for not providing the service they (the ISP) are paying for if your broadband doesn't work.

It took that for me to get new dropwire from the pole to my house - it was a "difficult" install due to access problems and I had a total of 11 or 12 BT openreach visits plus sustained pressure and the threat of legal action from the ISP (and my phone line being the front page story on ISPreview at one point :rotfl: ) before it happened. BT Wholesale did not cover themselves with glory, it's fair to say.

lee111s

Ultimately Openreach don't have to provide broadband at the moment. Unlike a telephone line, there is no USO for broadband.

So long as the line conforms to SIN 349, they issue a final position based upon costs involved to improve broadband connectvity.