MS LE COUTEUR: I would like to ask some more questions about greenfield
development, although not specifically about Molonglo. Do you do any work on the
provision of internet services, bearing in mind that Gungahlin is an area which people
complain about because it does not have internet services? Is that part of your remit?
Mr Savery: No, it is not something we specifically do, but it might be of interest to
the committee that, through the Commonwealth government’s announcement of the rollout of the national broadband network, there is discussion happening now at a national level through the planning official’s group on how planning systems or
planning processes can assist in the facilitation of the delivery of the national
broadband network.
For instance, one of the conversations is around the planning ordinance of individual
jurisdictions, ours being the territory plan. Is that the appropriate mechanism to
facilitate, through a new greenfield development, for a developer to be required to
provide broadband infrastructure? We are at a very early point in that discussion.
There are a range of considerations. In the territory, as distinct from other jurisdictions,
if that was imposed through the territory plan, given that the developer has purchased
the land to have certain rights, it might require the government to provide some
funding. That is why we are at a very early point in the discussion.

…….. lots of other stuff in here….then continuing

MRS DUNNE: When you are developing a new subdivision code, going back to
Ms Le Couteur’s question, what requirements are made to make provision for internet services?
THE CHAIR: We did that before when you were not here.
MRS DUNNE: Sorry. Ms Le Couteur asked the question and you talked about the
national broadband. I am asking: when you actually design the suburb, are you saying
there will be trenches that will take these sorts of things et cetera?
THE CHAIR: That is a different question.
Mr Savery: Through the chair, we do not get into that level of specificity in our
designs. That is for estate developers to provide. It is up to governments to set policies
as to whether or not they want internet provided to every home. That is not for
a planning agency to determine. We do not get to that level of design.
MRS DUNNE: No, but, when suburbs are being planned, do you tick off or have any
consciousness of whether the trenches, because everything is underground these days,
are capable of carrying gas, water, electricity, cable, fibre, whatever? Is that sort of
element ticked off? It is about the common trenching policy, I presume. It may not be
called that anymore.
Mr Ponton: In the estate development plan we seek advice from various agencies.
We also ask developers to speak with communication providers to ensure that
communications, including internet, can be provided to the estate. At the moment it is
possible for common trenching; so we do this without issue. We do not get involved
in the detail of that but we have to be satisfied that it can be provided.
MRS DUNNE: So you do tick off on the capacity to deliver all these services?
Mr Wurfel: That is right.

You can see the whole transcript at http://www.hansard.act.gov.au/hansard/2009/comms/planning10.pdf and search for internet to find the relevant bits.

I would like to think that Transact would provide FTTH in my part of Harrison but given their investment in Skydata I suspect that is unlikely in the near future.

From what I can tell we’re going through the standard process of:

- complain to Telstra about speed
- Level 1 tech support see that on the surface our line is eligible for an ADSL2 connection, and adjust it so
- line isn’t able to cope with new connection (RIM CMUX)
- speed slows down even more or drops out altogether
- complain to Telstra about speed and/or drop outs
- Level 2 tech support restore us to ADSL1

This happens every month without fail.

Unfortunately we cannot connect via Transact (units 1-25 within our townhouse complex were built before cabling was laid down), and the Skydata maximum quota doesn’t even cover half of what we download each month.

It is increasingly frustrating to have the service we pay $130p/m for fail time and time and again, especially because we’ve been told that we can only acheive “the best” speed through Telstra.

Telstra progresses Point Cook RIM-to-fibre swapout

http://www.itnews.com.au/News/167002,telstra-progresses-point-cook-rim-to-fibre-swapout.aspx

Now why are they not doing it here?

Multiply that by 20,000+ subscribers. You get approximately $20 million per year. This problem has been going on for several years now so multiply it again.

I’m throwing around the idea of a class action lawsuit against all ISP’s for a refund of these fees. They are all breaching the Trade Practices Act by selling a service they can’t provide.

They know about the congestion problems. They continue to sell the service making it even more congested. They take more money knowing they can’t deliver on basic broadband expectations.

Presumably they in turn would counter-sue their wholesaler on similar grounds … but that’s not my problem