[LINK] Australia begs residents to accept free fiber connection

[Richard Chirgwin]

Tom Worthington wrote:
> Kim Holburn wrote:
>   
>> http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/07/australia-begs-residents-to-accept-free-fiber-connection.ars
>>     
>>> Australia begs residents to accept free fiber connection
>>>       
>>> ... if the installation was free, and if the fiber hookup had no effect on your  
>>> existing phone or cable service and committed you to nothing...  
>>> wouldn't you take it? ...
>>>       
>
> Scene: Average suburban home, engineer in a hard hat with "NBN" on it 
> knocks at front door. Door opened by householder with a toddler in each 
> hand.
>   
1. Carriers are required to give notice. The tech doesn't just turn up.
> Technician: "Good morning, we are installing the NBN in you street,
> would you like a connection?"
>
> Householder: "I didn't order one."
>
> Technician: "We are making a free connection offer to everyone in the
> street."
>   
2. It's not a "free connection offer". It's a wholesale infrastructure 
replacement.

3. Although NBN Co is being polite in Tasmania, consent is not required 
for a "low impact facility" (although make-good is a requirement, and it 
makes good publicity sense to avoid unnecessary conflict with the punters).
> Householder: "What will it do for me?"
>
> Technician: "You get very high quality Internet and digital TV"
>   
4. See (2). Also note, "Since Telstra is decommissioning its copper, 
you'll need this to maintain access to the telephone, and to any fixed 
broadband services you may be purchasing".
> Householder: "We already have Internet and digital TV"
>
> Technician: "This is better."
>
> Householder: "And it is free?"
>
> Technician: "The installation is free and endorsed by the
> Australian Government."
>
> Householder: "That is what the people who installed the ceiling
> insulation said. I am still trying to get the smell of smoke out of the 
> carpet."
>   
5. Am I the only person in the country that can read a statistic? 200 
house fires (maybe, since some are still under investigation) out of 
400,000 houses insulated?

There are 10,000 house fires in Australia each year. So 2% of these may 
have been insulation caused; and these 200 represent a failure rate of 
0.05% of the total homes insulated.
> Technician: "This will give you access to the new communications world."
>
> Householder: "Like on my iPhone?"
>   
6. Not like the iPhone. Faster downloads than the iPhone; cheaper, on a 
per-GB per month basis. When do you expect (say) 20 GB per month iPhone 
plans to be less than $50 per month?
> Technician: "No, we need to put in a cable."
>
> Householder: "But my iPhone and digital TV don't need a cable."
>
> Technician: "This is much better."
>
> Householder: "Okay, but I have to go out in half an hour, so you will 
> have to be quick."
>
> Technician: "The trench digger is just around the corner."
>
> Householder: "You want to dig a trench through my garden! To install 
> something I don't want? Go away!"
>   
7. Which returns to (1), that the NBN Co will be giving notice, not just 
"turning up", and that in most cases, no trench will be required anyhow 
because a conduit already exists. This is why an arrangement with 
Telstra is so important.


RC
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