[LINK] NBN low income scheme

Frank O'Connor francisoconnor3 at bigpond.com
Wed Oct 26 14:21:34 AEDT 2011


Agreed,

And as I said a few months back, if the NBN wants to provide an 'always on' guarantee for the phone service then the cheapest and most convenient way to do this would not be to install a battery that has to be replaced every few years, it would be to provide a cheap and basic mobile phone and charger for NBN users who need same and/or don't have a mobile of their own. ($50-60 unit cost in Dick Smith ... probably way less if purchased in bulk with specialised SIM's keyed to whatever telco the NBN elects to use)

There are smart and stupid ways to guarantee basic phone service ... and we should look for the cheapest, most reliable and convenient ones before we recommend huge capital outlays that may or may not work and which require maintenance and replacement overheads that are probably not cost-effective.

					Regards,
---
On 26/10/2011, at 12:47 PM, Jan Whitaker wrote:

> At 10:24 AM 26/10/2011, Tom Koltai wrote:
>> (And don't tell me the NBN doesn't have a USO. Universal Broadband was
>> the justification for it's existence.)
> 
> But not free. Universal access will provide that. But this isn't 
> telephone we're talking about. The end equipment and user support is 
> immense in comparison. You can't give people who don't want to learn 
> about them a computer and not provide support. The gear ends up as a 
> doorstop. That's why I said that phone is essential (health, 
> emergencies), but although I love my computer, I can adjust if 
> required. My other proviso was in the case of school children. I can 
> see a benefit in subsidising access to that equipment and support, 
> which they will learn in school.
> 
> Internet is optional. Voice is not. And I believe I read on link that 
> you can get a voice only service on NBN.
> 
> Jan
> 
> 
> 
> Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
> jwhit at janwhitaker.com
> blog: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/
> business: http://www.janwhitaker.com
> 
> Our truest response to the irrationality of the world is to paint or 
> sing or write, for only in such response do we find truth.
> ~Madeline L'Engle, writer
> 
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