[LINK] Mobile Phone for USO - Was NBN low income scheme

[Ross Kelso]

Tom Koltai said:

"In most of Metropolitan Australia (93% of the
population), the Power Grid now has very few blackouts necessitating the
use of Standby or backup power options. 

In Country areas whwere Brownouts and lightning outages are more
commonplace, the NBN will be delivered by high frequency microwave."
================
This is a gross simplification.  Not all so-called 'Country' areas will receive NBN service by microwave and not all metropolitan areas (receiving the NBN by fibre) have a reliable power supply service.  In the latter case, you only have to look at outer-metropolitan areas of many cities which are more likely to have tree-lined streets, often merging into semi-rural areas, where come a severe storm (let alone a cyclone) the trees will fall across the power lines and outages will last for days as the authorities won't be able to cope with the widespread damage.  Also think bush fires.  The Hills District of Sydney is a prime example; I live on the Gold Coast - just 5km from the sea - with Foxtel HFC cable outside - but dread the likely severe storms this summer, also bush fires.  Outer metro areas typically have power line routes without redundancy.  BUT THEN consider aerial cabling of the NBN and the problems immediately magnify.  Oh, and don't forget tropical places like Townsville: INNER metropolitan streets there already have the NBN strung aerially and cyclone Yasi brought it down only this year.  The power was out for a number of weeks!

Ross Kelso
http://www.noaerialnbn.org 

(PS: The Marysville (Vic.) bush fire damage was so severe and power outage so prolonged that even the mobile phone batteries went flat - they couldn't be re-charged!  This sort of thing could happen again in the Sutherland Shire of Sydney which has a history of bush fires and power line routes without redundancy on the fringes.)