BT cast as internet villain at ISP awards

BT chief executive, Sir Peter Bonfield, was named the Internet Villain at the annual Internet Service Provider Awards held last night in London. He was blamed for holding back unmetered and broadband internet access. UUNet scooped the award for best business ISP.

Over 500 people gathered for what is widely being referred to as the 'Internet Oscars', which this year introduced two new categories: Internet Villain and Internet Hero. Web pioneer, Tim Berners-Lee was named Internet Hero. The awards ceremony has grown in prestige over the years as its members become multinational players tackling complex global issues such as content regulation and internet privacy. The UK's new e-envoy, Andrew Pinder, opened the awards. He urged the industry to work more closely with government and criticised the audience for not making their cases loudly enough: "You've got to help me in the representation of the issues that I have to take to government, but you have to make yourselves heard." Pinder said there has been a disappointing number of nominations for the technical advisory board to watch over the implementation of the RIP Bill - a problem which he said must be addressed. Meanwhile, Roland Perry, the interim CEO for internet exchange LINX - and a nominee for Internet Hero - also announced that he is stepping down from his role so he can continue to work on resolving some of the industry's key issues. Perry said: "The ISP industry has established itself as a mature industry capable of regulating itself and being grown-ups in the real world - there are a lot of issues that need to be tackled." Other award-winners included Easynet for best European ISP, ICScotland for best consumer ISP and BT Genie for best m-commerce service.