Petition for The Coalition to Reconsider FTTH

tanksinatra on 10/09/2013 - 19:17

There's an online (yes, I know) petition doing the rounds. Normally I wouldn't waste my time with these things, but this one was only started 2-3 days ago and is already at >96,000 signatories. Just to send a message, would you guys mind signing?

To:
Tony Abbott
Malcolm Turnbull
The Liberal Party of Australia
The Senate
Reconsider your plan for a 'FTTN' NBN in favour of a superior 'FTTH' NBN.

More info at: http://www.change.org/en-AU/petitions/the-liberal-party-of-a…
Sincerely,
[Your name]

Cheers

Internet

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Comments

        • philart on 15/09/2013 - 09:03

          The NBN installers won't have a bar of 'shaved costs' they want the roll out to be done with all the usual safeguards with regards working in a safe environment with wages commensurate with the skills they bring to the job, including traveling to work and accommodation - not many will travel hundreds of kilometers for work and then accept $25 an hour for wages. This is not a cheap exercise and people have to be paid. There has already been no end of issues where the NBN Co have found they're unable to control what Contractors quote to get the job done.

        • JohnHowardsEyebrows on 15/09/2013 - 17:53

          Why the neg? Is Malcolm Turnbull on Ozbargain?? :D

        • JohnHowardsEyebrows on 16/09/2013 - 09:40

          Yes, but there's also no doubt they've underdelivered horrendously, and the poor work ethic of NBN Co is known to anybody who's been near it. Most corporates have plenty of fat - it's just not enough executives are smart enough to cut it out, because it requires creativity, not slash and burn tactics, to do so.

          Doing so won't mean $25 an hour to go to the middle of nowhere - it'll just mean accountability and good planning. No gravy train - just a high paying job for quality - at the moment we're getting the first part, but nothing approaching the second. I'm assuming from your comments you work in the industry.

    • teehee on 13/09/2013 - 22:41
      +3

      Its ridiculous that people are suggesting that the whole election was just to decide which NBN policy people wanted. If theres a good policy of one major party and they don't end up winning, it doesn't mean that people didn't like that policy. And more importantly, this isn't a childs game where its breaking the rules if you copy ideas of the other team!

  • JohnHowardsEyebrows on 13/09/2013 - 10:20
    +13

    As a modern man of the 1950s, may I say that young Tony's plan is a step in the right direction. Having said that, I look forward to his second term agenda, where he removes the burden of these nasty internets, and starts work rejuvenating my pet project, the National Telegraph Network. The NTN will allow Australians to be relaxed and comfortable. We decide who commuunicates in this country, and the circumstances in which they communicate.

  • PiStep on 13/09/2013 - 10:57
    +4

    Signed and posted to FB… I agree FTTH is better than FTTN and wireless.

    I voted Liberal, but I don't agree with quite a few of their policies…. happy to help others that want a policy changed for the better…

  • MarkB4 on 13/09/2013 - 17:40
    +1

    Interesting article here on this matter - http://theconversation.com/nbn-petition-and-the-backlash-whe…

  • Ventak on 13/09/2013 - 18:15
    +1

    Signed it, it needs to be done properly regardless of which party is in government (they can take the credit for all I care). FTTN will hold us back for quite a number of years, even people within the UK admitted FTTN was a mistake.

    • callum9999 on 14/09/2013 - 03:29
      -2

      Who (who had any power to choose FTTH instead) admitted it was wrong? While speeds in the countryside and a tiny number of urban areas in the UK are poor, they are generally more than reasonable. Broadband is far, far higher on the political agenda in Australia than it is in the UK, where it is almost non-existent.

      People don't seem too bothered about upgrading to the FTTC services that have been rolled out across most of the UK now, let alone want FTTH connections! I know I'm perfectly happy with my bog standard copper line that gives 20mb odd.

  • miq on 14/09/2013 - 15:19

    lol online petitions

  • MarkB4 on 15/09/2013 - 12:43

    Clearly the issue is not as dead as Malcolm would like to believe. Clearly he is rattled by the petition, as insulting petitioners strongly suggests. Not a good start to his new job.

    • May4th on 15/09/2013 - 12:52
      +1

      malcolm evidently isn't the polished politician that i remember. his dismissive attitude and arrogance expressed in his response not only tells us of coalition's stubborn stance on a flawed policy but also conveys something of his character. bad start i agree

      • MarkB4 on 15/09/2013 - 14:45
        +6

        You have to remember also he is probably fighting for his political life, Abbot won't want him in cabinet but probably can't afford to have him out either. As another commenter said; If he's out of cabinet watch him do a superlative (or clumsy, depending on the POV) U Turn on the NBN = politics.

        Over on Malcolm's blog - http://www.malcolmturnbull.com.au/media/our-nbn-policy#comme… - over 600 comments - the response is the same as the petition. People obviously don't believe the Libs were elected as much as Labour were deselected, and democracy (citizen input to the body politic) doesn't stop after voting.

        The response is the same wherever comments are enabled - just google NBN petition - https://www.google.com.au/search?q=nbn+petition&ie=utf-8&oe=…

        It's not looking good for Malcolm and I can see him retracting his dismissive attitude fairly quick or reap the long term rewards of an angered (and tech savvy) national constituency.

  • BuyNow Think Later on 16/09/2013 - 00:14
    +3

    Signed as I am in favour of the FTTH.

    The FTTH has started and partially rolled out to some lucky people before the LNP won the election. The NBN should be renamed to the RBN (Regional Broadband Network) in which only some lucky people who have access to FTTH. They have a choice to take up the FTTH but the take up rate is not high. At least, the lucky people have a choice to take up FTTH while those unlucky ones don't. Then, Malcolm's FTTN will roll out to the rest of the not-so-lucky people's houses.

    Does a mixure of FTTP & FTTN create an effective first and second class citizens with some have and most don't?

    Imagine there are 2 identical houses built on the same street and next to each other. Their lands are also dentical. However, one gets the FTTH from the earlier ALP's NBN rollout, whereas, the other misses out the FTTH and subsequently gets the Malcolm's FTTN. Which house would be worth more if they are sold at the same time? Which one will you buy if they have the same price? Bear in mind that the owner who gets the FTTH doesn't have to pay anything to get the fibre optics attached to his home. While the FTTN house is still stuck with the humble copper wire attached to it for the foreseeable future!

  • Yumi on 16/09/2013 - 20:04

    So do you think that they'll suicide their reputation in the papers for FTTH just because some online petition got 100k signatures?

    http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/2137577

    And yes, Murdoch is our king; democracy is largely an illusion. He doesn't like FTTH, so you're not getting it.
    (Fortunately, we are gradually usurping his power, but that doesn't stop him from kicking and screaming on the way out.)

    For those who have to judge people by stance rather than argument, I really want FTTH, but I'm not expecting it to happen any time soon.

    • JohnHowardsEyebrows on 20/09/2013 - 10:26

      The model can be tweaked somewhat, depending on what contracts are already in place, costs sunk etc. It wouldn't be that hard to go ahead with it, and blame Labor for locking them in (and for the costs), whilst promoting some notion of cost saving under Malcolm's oversight.
      I'm guessing it just has to do with the decrepit old fogeys in the cabinet needing convincing that these internets things might feature in our future.

  • MarkB4 on 20/09/2013 - 10:40

    So, the petition got more than 1/4 million signatures out of a possible 20 million (let's be generous)- significant by any standard. Even in America a petition to the White House only has to reach 100,000 in a population of 320 million people before it attracts an official response, and not just an insulting dismissal.

    But what now? Has anyone had any follow-through or know what Nick Paine (the Liberal voter who started it) is doing with the petition now?

    Or was the petition, or did it turn into, little more than a sop to expected disappointment and even anger at the short-sightedness of Mr Broadband's FTTN. To control the fallout from such widespread discontent by allowing it expression and managing its dissipation?

    I suppose time will tell, unless someone knows something?

  • finncurry on 05/11/2013 - 12:09

    Sure Telecom believe that you should have easy and affordable access to connect to the world and this is the reason why we have implemented ‘Broadband Free Connect’ to ensure that you do not have limits to connect.
    http://suretelecom.com.au/broadband/

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