Nicola Scott investigates the ethical credentials of the main UK Broadband providers.
In the 1990s the internet heralded a new era of international communications.
It has made a significant contribution to the shrinking world phenomena
of economic and cultural globalisation by speeding up processes of consumption,
while also providing news from the other side of the world.
It certainly fits in well with 'cash-rich, time-poor' societies as things can be bought
and sold, and information viewed online, with a click of a button. In recent
years the internet has also been a tool of many groups and individuals from
environmental and social justice movements worldwide who have utilised it
to effectively make global issues local, and local ones global.
With so many positive features, how can an internet service provider be unethical?
Company crossovers
In recent years ISPs, information technology, mobile phone and media companies
have combined their strengths to develop into major conglomerates within
the global communications market. For example BSkyB recently signed a deal
with Microsoft to launch the broadcasting company's own Broadband internet
service.(2)
Using Windows computer software, existing subscribers to Sky Movies and
Sky Sports packages can now freely view these products on their personal
computers.(3) Alternatively, non-BSkyB customers can pay to watch these programmes
using their PCs. Likewise Orange, famous for its mobile phones, has re-branded
itself into an ISP which has incorporated its sister company Wanadoo.
While such developments form part of a company's profit-making strategy,
as only a handful of corporations have sufficient resources to invest in
market diversification,(4) one wonders how smaller ISPs will be able to compete
with their bigger peers without preferential access to various communications
and media sources through joint ventures similar to those mentioned above.
Corporations and the push for an end to 'net neutrality'
According to Jeffrey Chester of the Center for Digital Democracy based
in the USA, the push to oligopolise the global communications market is
no more evident than in the recent US Congress lobbying tactics of telephone
and cable companies who have pressed for an end to 'net neutrality'.(5)
This
concept has existed in the US since the world-wide web was created to ensure
that ISPs could not and cannot discriminate against 'competing and alternative
content'.(5) In other words, through net neutrality service providers are
prevented from slowing down the transmission of certain internet data or
speeding-up the flow of information from other sources.
Hence the end of
net neutrality could introduce a form of indirect web censorship, where
content from sites deemed to be critical of cable or telephone companies
who are also ISPs, could be put online at slower, less user-friendly download
speeds.
Whitewashing environmental issues
As the table of brands shows, although companies such as the BT Group,
Telefonica and Cable & Wireless score fairly well in ECRA's environmental
reporting category, most do not.
In fact the majority of companies researched
did not have an ethical or environmental policy. Perhaps this could be explained
by the fact that the internet is, like many services, largely intangible.
For example, some of the companies included on the list showed a complete
lack of awareness about the contribution their services made to climate
change through CO2 emissions.
Instead, to a number of bigger ISPs, reducing
their ecological footprint was based upon the implementation of a paper
recycling policy. Whilst the adoption of an environmentally-friendly paper
policy is welcome, ISPs could certainly use their cutting edge knowledge
of new technologies to do more to combat their contribution to climate change.
Alternatives
However, there is good news in the form of alternative, smaller-scale service
providers who are aiming to set an example to more well-known and larger
businesses. For example, one ISP that came top of our table, a not-for-profit
service provider called Green ISP, was found to use solar energy
to power its office.
All other power sourced was from a company called Juice,
a UK-based green electricity business formed by Greenpeace and nPower.(6)
To offset its yearly CO2 emissions, Green ISP participates in tree planting
with a local climate action group called Treesponsibility(7) and plants a
tree for every new Broadband and Web Hosting customer.
Another not-for-profit ISP, GreenNet, did equally well on the table.
The organisation stated on its website that it is 'an Internet Service Provider
dedicated to supporting and promoting groups and individuals working for
peace, human rights and the environment through the use of information and
communication technologies.'(8)
The Phone Co-op, through its customer cooperative business structure
also scored well, while CharityDAYS has given a six figure sum to
charity since it was established in 2002.(9) Interestingly, three out of the
four best scoring ISPs are categorised as small or medium-sized operations.
Despite this, they have scored much higher marks on our table than companies
which have far bigger annual turnovers and can afford to invest in renewable
energy resources and an ethical business structure.
Links
References
1 The Communications Market – Interim Report Feb 06www.ofcom.org.uk
18/7/06
2 www.timesonline.co.uk 17/7/06
3 www.sky.com/ skybybroadband/home
17/7/06
4 For example, according to Mintel’s Marketing Week
22/6/06, the launch of BSkyB’s Broadband service in the summer of 2006
was backed by a ‘substantial marketing budget.’
5 Exerpts from an interview with Democracy Now! www.democracynow.org 15/7/2006
6 www.greenisp.org.uk 14/7/06
7 www.treesponsibility.com
8 www.gn.apc.org/ 29/6/06
9 Phone conversation by ECRA with an employee of The Yellow Group 28/6/06
10 www.ispreview.co.uk 6/6/06
11 Phone conversation
by ECRA with NTL/Telewest 5/7/06
12 www.ft.com 25/10/05
13 www.btplc.com 12/6/06
14 www.btglobalservices.com 4/7/06
15 www.bigcampaign.org/boycottusa.html 20/6/06
16 www.inminds.co.uk/boycott-israel.html 5/7/06
17 www.business.orange.co.uk 6/7/06
18 Labour Research: Vol 94 No 12 (December 2005)