2018-02-27
Tuesday, 27 February
The Australian Greens have labelled a report into the future of the National Broadband Network, which found Australia’s internet needs over the decade would conveniently peak below the 50mb/s threshold NBN co are claiming to provide, as sloppy, unfounded and deliberately vague.
NBN spokesperson Senator Jordon Steele-John said the speeds noted in the report were already below international standards, and would cement Australia’s position as a second-rate digital player globally.
“Connecting to the Turnbull government’s mixed technology mongrel National Broadband Network has overwhelmingly been a negative experience – in terms of cost, connectivity and speed – for individuals and businesses,” Senator Steele-John said.
“What this report suggests, almost comically, is that the requirements of Australian internet users will plateau at or near current speeds over the next decade, with an average peak requirement of 49mb/s conveniently peaking just under the 50mb/s promise of this government.
“Furthermore, there is no historical data on Australia’s bandwidth requirements and therefore no real accurate predictions on what might be needed into the future; 24 hour trends are not reliable data sets for a decade-long prediction.
“What the report fails to acknowledge, in basing its predictions on current uptake, is the extremely cost-prohibitive nature of the speed packages offered by the NBN and their ability to actually achieve those claimed speeds.
“Australians are fed up with the NBN compromise and want access to a network that meets our current and future digital needs. The Australian Greens will continue to champion that right.”