House debates

Monday, 22 October 2018

Statements by Members

Broadband

4:29 pm

Photo of Gai BrodtmannGai Brodtmann (Canberra, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Cyber Security and Defence) Share this | Hansard source

Feedback is still rolling in about the dismal NBN rollout; and keep it coming, Canberra. I was recently contacted by Ahmed, who lives in Calwell, a suburb that's 14km from where I am standing. His suburb was set to receive fibre-to-the-node technology—that is, except for a small pocket of homes getting the more reliable fibre to the kerb. Ahmed said, 'This is totally unfair. We are being treated differently in the same area.' I contacted NBN Co to ask why and they told me it was 'cost effective'. I went back to them again and asked, 'Why do these houses get a better connection than those down the street? Why do some houses get one connection and some down the street get a different one?' While they were unable to answer, the NBN rollout map was updated and get this—the homes set to receive fibre-to-the-kerb technology have now been downgraded to fibre to the node. Once again, I went back to NBN Co to ask them, 'Why has the technology changed?' Once again, I'm yet to get an answer. When I met with NBN Co last month, I was told—guaranteed—it was going to happen, that all of Canberra would be on the rollout map by Thursday 4 October. Then I was told it would be 18 October. It's now 22 October and parts of Canberra that have some of the worst internet speeds in this country are still not on the map. It's time to prioritise the NBN rollout in Canberra.

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