[LINK] Ergas article in the Oz

[Tom Koltai]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: link-bounces at mailman1.anu.edu.au 
> [mailto:link-bounces at mailman1.anu.edu.au] On Behalf Of 
> Richard Chirgwin
> Sent: Monday, 28 June 2010 8:56 AM
> To: Link list
> Subject: [LINK] Ergas article in the Oz
> 
> 
> My comments within the article. Note that I have not reproduced the 
> entire piece
> 
> http://www.theaustralian.com.au/politics/opinion/well-pay-dear
> ly-for-this-nbn-folly/story-e6frgd0x-1225884951797
> 
> > EIGHTEEN months ago, Telstra proposed risking $10 billion of its
> > shareholders' money building a high-speed broadband network.
> [RC: 1. All investment is risk. Criticism of investment on the basis 
> that it is a risk, rather than because a specific investment is 
> excessively risky, is simplistic.
> 2. The Telstra proposal was not comparable to the NBN - it 
> was for FTTN 
> under a private monopoly.]
> 
[snip]

I find myself agreeing with Dr Ergas.

An unusual position for me, however, he is absolutely correct in that
the dismantling of the copper and the decommissioning of the broadband
component of the Optus/Telstra HFC networks is a retrograde step which
will place Australia in the position of :

Zero competition 
Big Brother routing
Zero redundancy.

The announcement of the NBN was brilliant.
The delivery, to date with political payoff salaries seems somewhat less
brilliant.

Not allowing the legacy Copper and HFC systems to be part of the
solution for hard to reach locations requiring hybrid
wireless/copper/HFC solutions is extremely short sighted.

PACBELL in California tore out the copper on 1999, only to start
replacing it two years later.

I truly hope that Ms. Gillard will take expert advice from a number of
independent consultants. Experts that come from a Telco background, with
experience in the problems that occur when you rely on Fibre only
delivery.

The copper should be allowed to die a natural consumer dictated death,
and not a mandatory legislative mandated snip.

Budgetary considerations in paying for the NBN are not a good enough
technical reason to disconnect the copper.

Tom