Internet Australia repeats call for NBN inquiry

64

news Internet Australia, a not-for-profit advocacy group representing Internet users, has made another call for an inquiry into the National Broadband Network.

The news follows former NBN chief Mike Quigley’s speech to the Melbourne University Networked Society Institute, in which he said the current Multi-Technology Mix strategy would end up costing more than the previous fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) proposal.

In his address, Quigley provided a detailed financial breakdown that he argued shows that FTTP is the best long-term option.

The group’s CEO Laurie Patton suggested there is now “so much uncertainty and disagreement” over the NBN strategy and costs that more clarity needs to be established.

He further noted that Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has disputed Quigley’s NBN assessment.

“There is real and genuine concern in technical circles and in the public arena. This is arguably affecting confidence in the project and potentially causing people to be hesitant to sign up”, Patton said.

Internet Australia said it has has “consistently argued” that Australia is building a “technically inferior network” at a time when Australia has ambitions to become an international leader in innovation.

“We’ve fallen to 60th on global speed rankings, from 30th just a few years ago,” said Patton, adding that this decline relative to other countries will continue “so long as we rely on the current technology mix”.

“New Zealand is out-performing us and Singapore, arguably our biggest regional competitor, already delivers broadband speeds 100 times faster than ours,” he said.

Internet Australia stated that only a fibre-based broadband network will provide the Internet speeds and reliability of service needed in the 21st Century.

The group pointed to the results of a recent members survey, which found that 80% of respondents were dissatisfied or extremely dissatisfied with the multi-technology mix (MTM) model.

The MTM has seen fibre replaced by copper and makes use of the “old HFC cables used for Pay-TV”, Patton added.

The Internet is an essential service that will “underpin Australia’s social and economic progress”, Internet Australia said.

“That means all Australians must have reliable, affordable access to a high quality, high bandwidth broadband service for both upstream and downstream traffic wherever they live and work,” said the group’s CEO.

“If the Internet is to reach its potential for good it is essential that we make it available to everyone,” he said. “The ability to participate in our digitally enabled future is becoming a basic right of all Australians.”

Finding a job, dealing with government and engaging in a wide range of community activities will increasingly require digital skills, Patton said. “We need to build our economic and social future around a connected world where everyone has access to the Internet and knows how to use it.”

The solution is simple, though, according to Patton.

“Whoever wins the upcoming election should hold a review of the strategic technical direction that NBN is now pursuing and make public the true costs associated with this nation building project, independently verified,” he concluded.

Image credit: NBN company

64 COMMENTS

  1. Love this picture.
    Thats your typical NBN worker and contractor right there…
    Fresh off the boat, 0% local experience, speaks pidgin english, has a degree from some backwater country and employed via labour hire company.
    If it was any other industry, GimpCo would’ve been dragged through the mud over it…

    • That’s incredibly racist to assume that someone who is asian must be fresh off the boat….

      This just in, Asian Australians don’t exist, all asians in Australia are immigrants.

        • And so it should, just cause someone looks like “X”, doesn’t mean they are.

          Might sound trite, but don’t judge a book by the cover…

      • Asians, ie Chinese have been in Australia since the 1850s, but of cause he is fresh off the boat, all Australians of Chinese decent are either doctors or pharmacist. Their not that stupid to do laborious work.

      • Whether people have worked in the Telco industry or not, you assumed someone is “fresh off the boat” by looking at their picture. Tell me, what specifically other than his ethnicity, did you use to judge him based on his picture?

        • Where to start…
          Clearly opening a pit without guards.
          No put key in sight and manually handling pit lid in awkward position.
          His uniform is all brand new.
          His uniform says “Construction Partner of NBN”.
          His wearing a helmet, 5 pit and 6 pits are not classed as confined spaces.
          You must be stuck in some kind of utopian dream where cheap labour from overseas is not used to do skilled jobs. Or is that just your ivory tower talking?

          • No, I think he was just having a go at you for your racist attitude. There are a lot better ways you could have said it.

            I think the 457 system is abused too (especially under the LPA where they get people in that aren’t trained to Australian safty standards and using the system when there are actually a lot of Aussies that could do it), but I don’t assume that a photo like that means they are automatically a 457.

            I blame Renai’s editor for the photo, that guy even works Renai like it’s a sweat shop!!

          • You know, he probably isn’t even an NBN employee/contracted employee, it’s clearly a posed stock photo for PR.

            The fact is, you saw an Asian and claimed they aren’t Australian, he might not be but by judging his appearance only is discriminatory.

  2. The group’s CEO Laurie Patton suggested there is now “so much uncertainty and disagreement” over the NBN strategy and costs that more clarity needs to be established.

    Hell yeah Laurie! Well said. And it needs to be from actual independent sources, not the LPA/ALP’s bookkeepers and pals.

  3. What have you started Renai?

    I even saw your name mentioned on the MSM sites a day or so ago with the Royal Commission call.

  4. I would like to know why the Prime Minister is shafting the country he is supposed to be leading. He has no vision for the future. That’s the way I see it.

  5. FTTN is ADSL. It is NOT LIKE FOR LIKE. You can’t actually reach 100 and sustain that. People are being scammed and cheated. They have basically made an upgrade to the ADSL system Telstra left to go to waste get it ?

    They are trying to flog off FTTN as FTTP. Same pricing. It’s a completely different level of service. It’s ADSL and people have been cheated out of a real fibre connection. Where people two blocks down have it and paying what they get for.

    They are now going to force people to pay double for their ADSL.

    Seriously they just come in without consulting the community/neighbourhood and imposing ADSL on them as if it’s something great. They don’t even tell people they are doing it like a handout.

    They did do letter handouts telling people FTTP are coming to them though ?

    What kind of democracy is this ?

    So stuff the inquiry.

    This was clearly a money laundering scam to transfer money to Telstra for nothing. And they are still doing it giving them contracts to handle our health records.

    CLASS ACTION. PROSECUTE THIS ORGANISED CORPORATE CRIME NETWORK.

    This is purely money laundering and protection rackets. To kill whole economies.

    • “FTTN is ADSL”

      Technically it’s not… It’s DSL though! I believe NBN mandated VDSL2, which can perform better than ADSL2+ near a node but it’s not better for distances 1.6km or further. Unfortunately that means that even in areas with medium density (this is most commonly 30-40 premises for 10 km^2), you need more than one node (because 10 km^2 is around 1.5 km radius). If you don’t put more than one node for that area, then that means everyone who is near the edge of the zone gets no better than ADSL2+ performance. No wonder they want to put off deployment of this technology until after the election…

      • FTTN is the pits literally and figuratively speaking!

        Fun fact I believe NBN pulled a Volkswagen style cheat on their VDSL tests to get better than real world speeds.

        Back in the real world with 30 plus VDSL Modems generating 30 M Hz signals on all pairs. Oh no my solomon reed error correction software is working overtime.

        FTTC speeds source of graph “OFCOM UK”

        Link : https://nbnmyths.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/fttn-speed-graph.gif

        VDSL on real world of telco rotting dilapidated copper networks at 600 meters is down to 20Mbps. LOL !!!!!!!

        LNP is happy to sell this crap to 38% of oz’s urban population, so long as it not used in their backyard!

        Five years later the 15 Mbps FTTN suffering from copper rot disease, is removed in tranches and replaced by the evil 1 Gbps fttp.

  6. Yea right lets have another enquiry and slow the roll out down while it thinks about who wants what answer.

    Just get on with it, the answer the rest of world are going with can’t be that wrong.

    • The inquiry does not have to happen first. But given the amount of money wasted, there has to be an inquiry at some stage.

      • I’d be happy to forgo an RC if they set up a proper independent federal ICAC.

        In fact I’m starting to think thats more important that an RC…

  7. The biggest crime I see is Turdball not including in his costings for the NBN the cost of upgrading to fttp which will have to be done almost as soon as his MTM is completed. He seduced the numpties out there with his 29.5 billion against Labour’s 60-90 billion and his sooner, faster and cheaper dribble. Had Joe public even realised he was spending what is now around 56 billion for a shit network that required many more billions for an immediate further upgrade to fttp they might not have voted him in. I am pretty sure the average Joe out in the burbs would expect a 56 billion network to last as least as long as the current copper network. We have also never seen any costings for ongoing maintenance – upkeep of copper network, upkeep of hfc, future upkeep of hfc for the benefit of foxtel, electricity costs for the nodes, our liability for the repairs to the existing copper network that is now on the taxpayer, etc, etc. I still can’t believe they actually bought Telstra’s copper AND responsibility for repairing all existing faults without any clue of its condition.

    • They never said faster. “Fast. Affordable. Sooner.” This is intended to mean, “Fast enough”.

      • This is intended to mean, “Fast enough”.

        Is it? Most of our neighbours don’t agree…

    • You hypocrite Reality, your mates had heaps of inquiries. Besides a RC doesn’t have to impede the rollout of the NBN, it’s there to hang out your dishonest LNP mates by their testicles. They want to find out WHY every one doesn’t have 25/5 by the end of 2016 as your court jester Turnbull stated.

      • You don’t need an inquiry into that because the NBN Co updated those pre election goals after SR13, so the inquiry outcome is they changed it, there you go saved the taxpayer a shitload of $$$.

        Perhaps we need an inquiry as to why you and your FTTN hater band of brothers ignore the well publicised in all media changes.

        • So you and your FTTP hater band of brothers stand by the party that updated, “Let’s not build it until after the next elections, although we pledged it would be built before then.” This mob had their chance to do “Sooner” and blew it!

          • So stopping FTTN which leaves a FTTP rollout playing catch up well behind at a snails pace is going to do it sooner is it?

            Of course Labor apologists constantly ignore the facts of the FTTN rollout speed compared to the same stage timelines of FTTP 2010-2013.

            Fingers in the ears and shout la-la-la a lot underpins a lot of pro FTTP argument.

          • The Coalition was forced to reinstate much of the FTTP rollout because the FTTN and HFC were taking years longer than they expected. The rollout rate FTTP today would have 93% of premises connected by 2024 (just do the math). In fact, it would be much sooner with only a small effort.
            Even a year ago, the FTTP rollout rate was hitting 25,000/week, and that was without much of an effort. For you to be correct, the NBN Co would actually have to slow down…

          • So stopping FTTN which leaves a FTTP rollout playing catch up well behind at a snails pace is going to do it sooner is it?

            Right, 761,557 FttP connections Vs 36,190 FttN connections is “FTTP rollout playing catch up”.

            Pull the middle one mate, it has bells on ;o)

          • @ alain,

            Shh let’s not mention MTM wasn’t a start up but FTTP was…

            In fact let’s not EVER mention that MTM has actually ridden on the back of the groundwork by MQ @ Co…

            Let’s just do a timeline … and compare the two, regardless.

            Let’s also forget that FTTN was supposed to be “vastly” faster and cheaper than FTTP, which was the trade off for inferiority… remember self proclaimed FRAUDBAND?

            But FRAUDBAND has since blown out in costs and time and those (100’s of 1000’s of Aussies) who were slated for FTTP who do not have FTTN are living proof that this debacle known as FRAUDBAND isn’t faster, isn’t cheaper but is still nonetheless, inferior.

            Apology accepted/you’re welcome.

        • Reality don’t you get it, FTTN is only half of what FTTH is, you never factor in the cost of coming back and finishing off the other half. It’s flawed logic……… It really is a waste of time talking to you, now run off and play on the road and don’t play with razor blades, leave it up to the grown-ups, although you won’t find any in the current government.

          • you never factor in the cost of coming back and finishing off the other half.

            Funny you brought that costing up as if it is a key point then don’t provide any costing yourself, but that’s ok because you are allowed to.

          • FTTN is only half of what FTTH is

            It’s far, far less than half MikeK, that’s why most other countries companies are dumping it for fibre.

          • Funny you brought that costing up as if it is a key point then don’t provide any costing yourself, but that’s ok because you are allowed to.

            You don’t agree with Ziggy, Malcolm and Morrow that they’ll need to upgrade to FttP in the near future Allain?

            For instance, Malcolm in his FAQ was talking about 4-10 years (in 2013), so next year, or in 7 years (which is around the same time frame Ziggy was talking about).

            Over to you, I look forward to your….answer?

          • “Funny you brought that costing up as if it is a key point then don’t provide any costing yourself, but that’s ok because you are allowed to.”
            So you failed Year 8 maths?

            A + B > A
            A + B > B

        • “You don’t need an inquiry into that because the NBN Co updated those pre election goals after SR13, so the inquiry outcome is they changed it, there you go saved the taxpayer a shitload of $$$.”
          Right. So why is a party who can’t keep a single election promise not getting kicked out?

  8. If Turnbull is returned there will be NO inquiry (get real) the only way to have an inquiry is to vote Labor into government and even then there is no guarantee but Labor is your best bet. This election is about the lesser of two evils, your already seen the devil in the MTM, compared to the LNP, Labor is a halo on the horizon. My post is layered with religious rhetoric, I finely found a use for religion. HALLELUJAH

    • Add 2M to the FTTP, keep the rest of the Coalition MtM as is and that’s a ‘different policy’.

      Labor Policy is MtM with some more FTTP, (don’t ask when though), Labor are still trying to work out what to do about the ‘failed construction model’ (their words) from their last go at a FTTP NBN.

      • “keep the rest of the Coalition MtM as is”

        You mean phase out the rest as soon as possible….

        • No, 2M that were targeted for FTTN will get FTTP the rest of the Coalition MtM is untouched, which areas will get FTTP and how long it will take will come after the election of course.

          Wouldn’t it be hilarious if the new areas announced for Labor NBN FTTP complain they want FTTN because their FTTP rollout is taking too long, Labor NBN Co rollout history tells us this is a high probability.

          lol

          • Wouldn’t it be hilarious if the new areas announced for Labor NBN FTTP complain they want FTTN because their FTTP rollout is taking too long, Labor NBN Co rollout history tells us this is a high probability.

            Yeah, it would :o)

            But considering analysis of the actual build data shows the roll out speed is comparable, I guess it may not actually be funny?

            https://twitter.com/DCoopes/status/735101684829933570

            lol

            Indeed :o)

          • “Wouldn’t it be hilarious if the new areas announced for Labor NBN FTTP complain they want FTTN because their FTTP rollout is taking too long”
            Yeah it’d probably be those same idiot country bumpkins that had FTTP scheduled for 2014 and then blame Labor that they still don’t have FTTN until after the 2016 elections.

      • Silly billy, Labors plan was always MtM (FttP, FW and Sat), Malcolm’s “great innovation” was to only add a few more inferior techs to it that delayed the over all roll out and added billions and billions to his original plan.

    • If Turnbull is returned there will be NO inquiry (get real) the only way to have an inquiry is to vote Labor into government and even then there is no guarantee but Labor is your best bet.

      Actually, I’d say the Greens and/or independents holding power in the senate is our best chance, I don’t see Labor supporting one either unless they are wedged.

  9. If we are are going to have an inquiry, why not into Mike Quigley who delivered 10% of what he promised(check the NBN targets vs actuals) and charged me… the Australian Taxpayer some $2 Million Dollars a year for the privilege.

    Gee…. I wish I could make $2 Mill a year for doing 1/10th of what I promised as CEO. Do you reckon other CEO’s would have lasted as long as he did if they had actual investors using their own money rather than a fake political board using my tax dollars instead?

    While he is loved by the Fibre Cultists like some sort of Jim Jones figure, his complete and total incompetence lead to the NBN as run under him to become a complete shambles with entire states NBN workforces putting tools down and walking away. Labor dumped him, so it seems even they realised what a colossus mistake he was in the end.

    If we are going to have an inquiry… it simply MUST include the performance of one very overpaid, under performing, over promising CEO who failed at everything other than taking money from taxpayers.

    • @ TDH, Thank heavens your not a builder or all you houses would have no foundations, Mike Quigley built the NBN from nothing. Mike Quigley QUIT no one dumped him.
      On one would pay you 2mil, you can’t even get the facts straight.
      Can’t be bothered to reply to the rest of your argument, it’s a load of rubbish.

    • “why not into Mike Quigley who delivered 10% of what he promised(check the NBN targets vs actuals) and charged me… the Australian Taxpayer some $2 Million Dollars a year for the privilege”

      So you mean file a suit against Telstra for not fulfilling their promise to have the asbestos cleared up on time (the reason for that delay) and take the money back from the charity the $2 Million was donated to (even though absolutely none of it came from the taxpayer)?

      “Gee…. I wish I could make $2 Mill a year for doing 1/10th of what I promised as CEO”

      You would first have to learn how to read properly…see, your Mum was correct, you DO need to know math and english.

      • “So you mean file a suit against Telstra for not fulfilling their promise to have the asbestos cleared up on time (the reason for that delay) and take the money back from the charity the $2 Million was donated to (even though absolutely none of it came from the taxpayer)?”

        Oh here we GO!

        First off he only donated his first years salary to the charity.

        Secondly Mike Quigley was on the board of the charity he was donating the money to. Bet you didn’t know that did you? A nice little tax write off I must say.

        Thirdly, Telstra isn’t to blame to Mike Quigleys incompetence of the completely seperate company of NBN Co. I know it’s the Modus Operandi of the Fibre Cultists to blame everything on Telstra… but just what was I paying Quigley $2 Million Dollars a year for? Is he not responsible for the failures of NBN Co as CEO? Really? Really?

        See this is what you guys don’t get. The NBN failed under him. He was CEO. That means he failed.

        And if he had a board democratically elected by shareholders who invest their own money as what happens with real companies.. the guy would have been dumped ages ago.

        As to MikeK… you say Quigley resigned. Isn’t that a coincidence… right after his mate Senator Conjob was kicked out of the job as Telecommunications Minister having achieved nothing (Internet Censorship = Fail. Media Censorship = Fail. NBN 1 Mill Connections by July 2013 = FAIL), lo and behold… Quigley “Resigns”.

        Had nothing to do with unabated, blind support from Conroy by any chance being struck with the reality stick?

        • And Quigley never accept a bonus while he was in the job, no I’m not saying Quigley resigned, I’m stating a fact, that Quigley resigned and I fail to see the connect between Quigley and Conroy’s employment. One a politician and the other an engineer and Chief Executive of NBN Co, other than working relationship. Are you trying to compare a government enterprise with a public company, about all they have in common is the word company. Quigley worked for Alcatel Lucent as CEO for 30 years with an operating income of 204 billion euro.
          Blind support, what about Turnbull supporting Ziggy Switkowski after he broke the care taker convention.

        • First off he only donated his first years salary to the charity.

          And? It’s a lot more than anyone from the LPA appointed crew.

          Secondly Mike Quigley was on the board of the charity he was donating the money to.

          So? How does that diminish the act? Also see point one.

          I know it’s the Modus Operandi of the Fibre Cultists to blame everything on Telstra

          But the almost three year delay in the roll out of FttN by the current nbn™ is OK?

          You’re spots prove your real objective, and that’s the real truth.

          The real answer (and answers) aren’t with the Lib/Lab team (and they are very much a team at the moment), people should remember that when they vote.

    • Actually, I agree. Sunshine is the best disinfectant after all, and if all the parties (as in those involved, not just political parties) worked in good faith, they have nothing to worry about, right?

    • Hey Richard. Good to see you.

      “If we are are going to have an inquiry, why not into Mike Quigley who delivered 10% of what he promised(check the NBN targets vs actuals)”
      You check them – you have your numbers wrong. According to Fifield, Labor was only 10% BEHIND on their 2013 target.
      http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/federal-election-2016/shortsighted-expensive-and-backward-looking-exnbn-boss-blasts-turnbulls-plan-20160622-gpozid.html

      “and charged me… the Australian Taxpayer some $2 Million Dollars a year for the privilege.”
      The Coalition has missed their 2016 target by 75% and charged you $7billion a year for the privilege.

      But I bet you’ll invent a reason to ignore that one, eh?

      “Labor dumped him, so it seems even they realised what a colossus mistake he was in the end.”
      He left, you mong.

      “it simply MUST include the performance of one very overpaid, under performing, over promising CEO who failed at everything other than taking money from taxpayers.”
      Bill Morrow? Agreed. His $3million/year salary WITH bonuses for not even delivering half a network that was promised completion this year is disgraceful. Quigleys’ $2.5million donated to charity salary with declined bonuses to get a national GBE network up and running to a point where the opposition could no longer just stop it, but had to devise a plan to demolish it instead makes him a kind of saint by comparison.

  10. I wonder why the usual NBN repeat often the same tired delusional denial revision of history propaganda shill suspects are avoiding this thread?

Comments are closed.