AT&T Techs Want Access To Every Room In Your House. Just Say No.
Policy troubling following Best Buy Delivery Man’s Murder Of Boca Woman
BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) — AT&T UVerse technicians are telling customers throughout Palm Beach County that they must “map WiFi” throughout a home upon completion of a service call — an act that requires a tech to inspect every room in a house.
A homeowner refusing access — according to multiple technicians — requires a call to a supervisor.
The astonishing move by AT&T is of concern to area law enforcement which is constantly advising Palm Beach County residents — especially the elderly — not to let techs into their homes, and certainly not to give them unfettered access beyond the most minimal access truly needed.
An elderly woman was killed by a Best Buy delivery man in Boca Raton earlier this year.
Kelly Sterling, an AT&T spokesperson, denies that the mapping is “mandatory,” but several technicians tell BocaNewsNow.com that it is. They say they’ll be “written up” if mapping isn’t completed. In fact, a supervisor was overheard by BocaNewsNow.com telling a technician during a recent service call that he should set up a testing unit in one room and log it as if it was the entire house so he was in compliance with policy.
The service call had nothing to do with WiFi signal strength.
The technician’s work order screen on a small tablet lists every room in a house with blank spaces for signal test results.
“Room names are generic and chosen from a list of general options, (like) living room, hallway, kitchen,” said Sterling in a written statement to BocaNewsNow.com. “We don’t collect individual home layout details, but simply measure Wi-Fi signal strength by assigned room name in order to provide technical support during installation and to help customers troubleshoot if signal strength issues occur. We do not sell or share this data with third parties.”
But that doesn’t stop technicians themselves from observing the valuable contents of a home and their locations. While largely considered among the most professional and trustworthy in the communications service business, if anyone could disable a home’s internet connection to alarm systems, it’s an AT&T UVerse technician.
Sterling pointed BocaNewsNow.com the webpage below as an explanation. It confirms use of “geo-tracking” but claims it’s not nefarious.
“Or tool captures geolocation information that we only use to confirm our technician’s location. The information available via the tool during testing measures Wi-Fi signal strength by assigned room name for easy reference, such as office or media room. It provides technical support during installation and allows the technician to help customers troubleshoot if signal strength issues occur.”
Unless you are experiencing a WiFi signal issue in your home that you can’t personally solve, law enforcement strongly encourages you to refuse access to any technician seeking unfettered access to every room of your home.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office is reviewing material sent to BocaNewsNow.com from AT&T.
If you are even the least bit uncomfortable with an AT&T — or other — technician requesting access to your home, call 911.
For AT&T’s “written” policy on the matter, click here.
