NBN A NATIONAL TRAGEDY - OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE TOLD

21 April 2017

Responding to expert evidence describing the Governments NBN as a national tragedy, Labors Spokesperson for Regional Communications, Stephen Jones, has called on Malcolm Turnbull to draw a line under the damage once and for all.

Associate Professor Mark Gregory, has highlighted today at a Joint Standing Committee on the National Broadband in Melbourne, that the Governments decision to roll out copper FTTN technology could have wiped about 50 percent of the value of the NBN.

Associate Professor Mark Gregory said the decision to roll out copper FTTN is a backwards step, and that it was vital for regional Australia to have FTTP technology.

A key factor often overlooked in the assessment of costs, is maintenance.

Copper is up to three times more expensive to maintain than FFTP technology.

Further, Professor Rod Tucker has called the NBN a national tragedy, and said by the time the NBN roll out is complete; the technology will already be obsolete.

Malcolm Turnbull needs to accept expert advice, and extend FTTP, rather than continuing to roll out a degraded and second rate service across regional Australia.

For regional communities, it is vital that we upgrade to a network that is fit for the future, rather than entrenching a network that excludes country Australians from the digital economy.

Fibre to the premises is dominatingnew broadband rollout around the world and the rollout cost has been decreasing by up to 50%.

Instead, Australia got the wrong network because of the Coalitions political game playing.

Malcolm Turnbull needs to stop pretending his second rate NBN is in the nations best interests, and acknowledge the expert advice clearly telling a different story.