[LINK] (Fwd) Telstra's plans for one small rural area.
Howard Lowndes
lannet@lannet.com.au
Thu, 31 Oct 2002 22:16:06 +1100 (EST)
On Thu, 31 Oct 2002, David Boxall wrote:
> > If I bought a decent modem but didn't try and tweak the connection, what
> > would I expect?
> If you bought the modem I recommend for this area (Maestro Woomera),
> left it at the default Expert mode and allowed time for it to adjust
> itself to the line, I expect you would get 26.4 to 28.8 kb/s most of
> the time. That doesn't require any technical knowledge, just a
> willingness to spend ~$300 on a modem.
>
> There is a problem with distinctly non-technical people buying a
> computer "with the Internet". What they get is the cheapest internal
> modem (WinModem?) that passes muster in the shop. Those things
> frequently fail to even connect out here. Try convincing a retired
> farmer that, after spending ~$3000 on a new system which the vendor
> told him would connect to the Internet, he needs to spend another
> $300. This after a series of bad experiences have turned him off the
> idea of the Internet altogether. Shouldn't the network be up to the
> task without such expense & aggravation for subscribers?
So, what submission are you/have you made to this farmer from Moree who is
conducting the (supposedly independent) enquiry for the gummint??
>
> > how close does the fibre from Cessnock come to the area
> There is fibre along Wollombi Road, which comes within 5 km. At
> least, I believe that to be the case. I don't think Telstra has ever
> given me a straight answer about the infrastructure. Our phone
> services use copper from the exchange. The fibre parallels the
> copper, I believe.
>
> Our line comes into the area via Bellbird, over Mount View at
> Bimbadeen lookout. The fibre runs through Bellbird, but probably
> comes closest to the area at Millfield (closer to Wollombi). There's
> a (rather too large) map at
> <http://users.hunterlink.net.au/~dddab/images/Map3.png>
> which might help.
>
> > Is Internet connection sharing feasible
> Distances are too great for cable. The area is too mountainous for
> wireless. Difficult.
>
> > would Hunterlink play along?
> They've been very accommodating in the past, but I believe the
> company recently consolidated with a larger one which has a
> reputation for less flexibility.
> ______________________________________________________________________
> Information technology has the incredible potential to serve human
> needs and help us improve the way we live and work. But to get there
> we must focus on making our systems profoundly human-centered. --
> >From "The Invisible Future" by Peter J. Denning
>
>
> From: "Chirgwin, Richard"
> <Richard.Chirgwin@informa.com.au>
> To: "'david.boxall@hunterlink.net.au'"
> <david.boxall@hunterlink.net.au>
> Subject: RE: [LINK] (Fwd) Telstra's plans for one small rural
> area.
> Date sent: Wed, 30 Oct 2002 07:42:59 +1000
>
> > David,
> >
> > The 15km is the starting point. That's way beyond ADSL, and in fact
> > beyond the spec for a 56k modem (around 8km from memory) - which
> > explains why you had to put in effort to get 28k dialup reliable.
> >
> > OK; you're able to get 28k with effort; what would a non-technical
> > user get in this circumstance? If I bought a decent modem but didn't
> > try and tweak the connection, what would I expect? - because even from
> > an engineer's point of view, something that boosted 99% of users from
> > 19.2 to 26k is good even if the other 1% lose 2kb/second.
> >
> > I missed a really dumb question, of course. So I'll ask it now: how
> > close does the fibre from Cessnock come to the area we're talking
> > about? Is Internet connection sharing feasible where you are - and
> > would Hunterlink play along?
> >
> > Richard
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: David Boxall [mailto:david.boxall@hunterlink.net.au]
> > > Sent: Tuesday, 29 October 2002 19:30
> > > To: Chirgwin, Richard
> > > Subject: RE: [LINK] (Fwd) Telstra's plans for one small rural area.
> > >
> > >
> > > On 28 October 2002, Richard Chirgwin wrote:
> > >
> > > > Mt View is somewhere between Wollombi and Cessnock?
> > > The most distant subscriber is about 15 km from Cessnock exchange.
> > > Though rural in character, Telstra classifies the area as urban.
> > >
> > > > what solutions would be suitable
> > > I'm not qualified to say. That's one very good reason for posting
> > > to Link. Perusing the CEPU submission and allowing for the fact that
> > > broadband is not an issue, perhaps ANT-1, I-RIM or C-MUX? According
> > > to the CEPU submission, the dial-up potential of a SCAD is lower
> > > than the service level usually achieved (albeit with some effort and
> > > expense on my part) at present. What would you suggest?
> > >
> > > Broadband is not an issue purely on cost grounds. Once the price
> > > drops to something realistic, it will become an issue. That said,
> > > wouldn't adept management (given the costs of getting personnel,
> > > equipment and materiel into the area) make allowance for it?
> > >
> > >
> > > From: "Chirgwin, Richard"
> > > <Richard.Chirgwin@informa.com.au>
> > > To: link@www.anu.edu.au
> > > Subject: RE: [LINK] (Fwd) Telstra's plans for
> > > one small rural
> > > area.
> > > Date sent: Mon, 28 Oct 2002 06:34:48 +1000
> > >
> > > > David,
> > > >
> > > > Correct me if I'm wrong ... from my knowledge, admittedly
> > > incomplete,
> > > > of the area we're talking about, Mt View is somewhere
> > > between Wollombi
> > > > and Cessnock?
> > > >
> > > > My point is to ask a question: going along with the
> > > contention that a
> > > > SCAD would be inappropriate, what solutions would be suitable in
> > > > what's a moderately remote location?
> > > >
> > > > Richard Chirgwin
> > > >
> > > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > > From: David Boxall [mailto:david.boxall@hunterlink.net.au]
> > > > > Sent: Sunday, 27 October 2002 15:32
> > > > > To: link@www.anu.edu.au
> > > > > Cc: Phil Lammert; Col Gillespie; j.fitzgibbon.mp@aph.gov.au;
> > > > > kerry.hickey@parliament.nsw.gov.au; Consumers'
> > > > > telecommunications Network; Australian Consumers' Association
> > > > > Subject: [LINK] (Fwd) Telstra's plans for one small rural area.
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > Hello again Linkers,
> > > > >
> > > > > Forwarded below is my latest message to Telstra. Once
> > > again, there
> > > > > has been no e-mailed response, just another message on my
> > > answering
> > > > > machine from Phil Lammert. The message says that: - Telstra is
> > > > > "putting something in writing", which is "being approved at the
> > > > > moment". Sounds like any communication not oral is a big thing
> > > > > to Telstra. - "It's true we are putting a SCAD in there, but not
> > > > > for some time". If it's not going to do the job, does a
> > > delay make much
> > > > > difference? - "the SCAD that we put in there will be ISDN
> > > capable".
> > > > > Aren't they all? - "We're also doing a number of other things to
> > > > > ensure people get good Internet". What's good Internet? 26
> > > > > kb/s isn't.
> > > > >
> > > > > ------- Forwarded message follows -------
> > > > > From: "David Boxall" <dddab@hunterlink.net.au>
> > > > > Send reply to: dddab@hunterlink.net.au
> > > > > To: phil.lammert@team.telstra.com
> > > > > Date sent: Thu, 24 Oct 2002 11:33:41 +1000
> > > > > Subject: Telstra's plans for one small rural area.
> > > > >
> > > > > Hi Phil,
> > > > >
> > > > > A week has passed and I have no answer to my enquiry.
> > > > >
> > > > > Silence constituting assent, you have agreed that proposed work
> > > > > on the network in the Mt View/Mt Bright/Mt Baker area, while it
> > > > > might increase the quantity of services, will decrease aspects
> > > > > of the quality of service. You also implicitly acknowledge that
> > > > >
> > > the whole
> > > > > story was not presented at our meeting in August.
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > That said, the CEPU submission mentioned in my first message
> > > > > indicates that more modern, more capable solutions are
> > > > > available. Please tell me why the solution chosen is not one
> > > > > that
> > > will meet the
> > > > > current need. As both shareholder and customer, I'm deeply
> > > > > concerned at the proposal to waste Telstra resources on a
> > > > > project that will not do the job, when there is technology
> > > > > available that will.
> > > > >
> > > > > Please reply by e-mail. As before, your response - or
> > > not - will be
> > > > > promulgated this weekend.
>
> <snip>================================================================
> ====
> David Boxall | The more I learn
> david.boxall@hunterlink.net.au | The more I realise
> | How little I know
>
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>
--
Howard.
LANNet Computing Associates - Your Linux people
Contact detail at http://www.lannetlinux.com
"Flatter government, not fatter government." - me
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------------------------------------------
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