back to article Who's to blame for the NBN? Hardly anyone remembers, or cares

Welcome to NBN Week, Reg Australia's new weekly roundup of the endless news of the nation's National Broadband Network. Last week we reported the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission launched an inquiry into the NBN's wholesale services. The irony of that decision is that it came just one day after a government MP …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Come on, the state of the NBN is totally down to Malcolm Turnbull.

    Labor started building what would have been a world class NBN, then Turnbull came along, spent $59b nobbling it, so his media mates in Foxtel would not have competition, and the rest is history.

    Experts tried hard and long to educate Turnbulland have him reverse his 3rd world NBN, and warned anyone who would listen, to no avail.

    Now we have the 3rd world solution that "Mr I invented the Internet" gave us to appease Rupert.

    1. GrumpyKiwi
      FAIL

      Yes of course it was his fault. That's why the first people who were on the NBN when it was still Labor in charge found it an underwhelming experience.

      Nope, it was Labor who set it up to suck, then the Liberals who made damn sure that this was the only mission statement it would succeed at.

      1. mathew42
        FAIL

        Discounting CVC has been Liberal masterstroke.

        The biggest step the Liberals have taken to ensure a low speed NBN is to discount CVC faster than Labor planned (down from $20 to ~$14). This reduces NBNCo's future revenue which makes it almost impossible for NBNCo to reduce the price of AVC to make faster plans more attractive.

        Complaining about RSPs buying inadequate CVC leading to poor peak performance, but not taking action is a good strategy because it further tarnishes the reputation of the NBN and what is point of paying for a faster speed when it slows to a crawl during peak periods when you want to use it?

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Turnbull's buddies at Telstra also get Govt $$ to over service a degrading and antiquated Telecom/Telstra copper network - they would lose out if they rolled out a shiny new easier to maintain fiber solution everywhere.

      What is the service cost of putting an old supermarket shopping bag in a copper pit to try and keep the rain out?

      Someone must be getting filthy rich if this is what they opted for as the ongoing solution.

      1. Pompous Git Silver badge

        "Turnbull's buddies at Telstra also get Govt $$ to over service..."

        In Japan you get a $AU15 Ethernet port to connect to their broadband. In Australia you get a $AU600 NTD with four Ethernet ports so you can connect to four RSPs simultaneously, as mandated by Conroy/ALP. In Japan, if you want to do that, you buy a device to plug into the provided single port.

      2. mathew42

        What about the $800 dollars each Labor negotiated with Telstra to transfer each customer from the 'worthless' copper network the NBN and the rent for ducting?

        Labor had the option of splitting Telstra into a retail and wholesale company (NZ model) but lacked the will.

    3. mathew42
      FAIL

      84% on 25Mbps or slower

      > Labor started building what would have been a world class NBN

      A 1Gbps GPON network is close to world class. Direct fibre is one step better and offers symmetric connections. However Labor expected (see NBNCo Corporate Plan) that <1% would have 1Gbps in 2026, which is definitely not world class. Currently speed tier take up is well below Labor's expectations (FTTP, FTTN, & HFC are all similar).

      > so his media mates in Foxtel would not have competition

      Netflix recommends 5Mbps for HD streaming and 25Mbps for 4HD streaming. HD is easily serviced over FTTN and 65% of FTTN can sync at 50Mbps or faster (average is 68Mbps)

      > Experts tried hard and long to educate Turnbulland have him reverse his 3rd world NBN, and warned anyone who would listen, to no avail.

      That would be the experts hoping to be in the 14% with 100Mbps who might actually be impacted by FTTN. Labor's decision to implement speed tiers on the NBN means that 84% don't care because they are choosing 25Mbps or slower and FTTN easily supports that.

      Where were the experts when Labor published the NBNCo Corporate Plan with the glaring digital divide that speed tiers would create? Silent because they were to afraid to critique the plan and see the issues exposed. The consequence of this selfishness is FTTN.

  2. Diogenes

    ACCC needs to shoulder some blame

    For mandating 121 instead 5 POIs

  3. Winkypop Silver badge

    It's a bit shit really

    And the Liberals are on the nose.

  4. Puuru

    Sitting here in NZ & ROTFLMAO

    Just upgraded from a "paltry" 50 Mbps to 200 Mbps, and I'm not even on fibre (could get fibre, though, if I changed ISPs, but on GPON it wouldn't be any faster).

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