[LINK] Customers may be forced on to NBN to keep phones

Kim Holburn kim at holburn.net
Tue Oct 12 13:48:37 AEDT 2010


If you want a connection to the internet or telephone you are forced  
to get a connection.  So?  This is a big deal?  You can still opt for  
wireless if you are game.

On 2010/Oct/12, at 12:51 PM, Max Devlin wrote:

> On 12/10/2010, Richard Chirgwin <rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au> wrote:
>
>> As to DSL - eg, "Naked" plans - it's a change of retail / wholesale
>> relationship. You're still "forced" to connect to Telstra's copper  
>> to do
>
> Except that hyour not "forced" to do anything except exercise a choice
> to have an already existing copper wire connected to someone other
> than telstra at the exchange.

It's still Telstra copper and Telstra gets paid and services the  
copper (albeit grudgingly if you don't have a phone connection through  
them).  Until recently no-one else was allowed to put copper to your  
home.  The copper is there as a result of an evil Government monopoly.

If you have copper to your house it's because someone at some time  
exercised the same choice: have the government monopoly put in copper  
to your house or don't have a phone.

> The point about fibre is that you might be forced to have/pay for it
> laid across your land whether you want NBN style broadband or not.

Bit of a stretch there.

> And 55pc of Tasmanians given the chance refused to sign up.

So? To pay for the hard bits everyone has to help.  As Australians we  
have these two options:
1) We all co-operate and work together so all Australians (or nearly  
all) can get connected ie Government monopoly infrastructure;
or
2) we do some kind of free market infrastructure - result, many  
Australians won't get connected, some will have more than one  
connection.  No-one will get much more than a few Mb/sec.  We have  
that already, except we are living with the after-effects of a  
previous Government monopoly on copper.  Anyone who has lived in more  
densely populated countries will know how much better broadband is  
there.

> And now your being told that even if you choose not to have NBN fibre
> you are still "forced" to have it laid if you want a phone.

Well, landline, yes.  And the problem is?

> I haven't heard that before. I vote no!


We live in hope.  Since you are probably connecting to the internet  
via a system that was or is at least in part a Government monopoly you  
could just say "no" right now.

-- 
Kim Holburn
IT Network & Security Consultant
T: +61 2 61402408  M: +61 404072753
mailto:kim at holburn.net  aim://kimholburn
skype://kholburn - PGP Public Key on request












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