[LINK] NBN & the Coalition

[David Boxall]

On 3/04/2013 3:42 PM, stephen at melbpc.org.au wrote:
> ...
> 1. "Coalition to end the NBN monopoly"
> ...
> Telstra will continue to be an integrated retail/wholesale operator ...
The Liberals are the party of business. They will do what suits 
incumbent businesses.

>
> A. Once the NBN’s last mile of fibre is made user pays, it must stay that
> way forever.
When I had my copper 'phone line installed, 30-odd years ago, the 
installation was heavily subsidised. Subsequent maintenance and upgrades 
were at public expense (before privatisation).

I hate to say it but, to my mind, the coalition plan sounds anti-Australian.

>
> 2. "Turnbull's whiter-than-white elephant?"
> ...
> – It's just not true that private fibre cables can be cheaply run from the
> fibre-to-the-node cabinets Turnbull wants to install in every street. The
> technology to convert a fibre backbone signal (light fired down a fibre
> optic cable) into digital electrical signals that travel along copper wires
> is not the same piece of kit as is being installed to provide the Conroy
> NBN. In simple terms, every FTTN cabinet would need one technology to split
> the backbone light signal into numerous FTTP signals, and one to send
> electrical signals along all the copper loops emanating from the 'node'.
> Both technologies would have to be installed in every node, just in case
> one premises in the street wanted fibre.
>
> – If a team of NBN contractors rolling down a street can connect each
> dwelling for an average cost of $2,000, reduced economies of scale will
> make it more expensive to call contractors out on a piecemeal basis to
> connect single dwellings. Much more expensive. Even if a Coalition
> government mandates a fixed price for connections, the cost of the hauling
> a team out to install single fibres, over and over again, will cost the
> taxpayer a fortune.
While pandering to the Liberals' constituency in incumbent businesses. 
To that mindset, maximising the return to business is divine; spending 
tax revenue is diabolic. The cost to the end user is not an issue.

> ...
> – The patchwork nature of a Coalition plan will help preserve technology-
> based monopolies, ...
The party of business doing what suits incumbent businesses - again.


> ... Just what is Turnbull up to?
In a word: politics. The pity of it is that the electorate will probably 
be silly enough to forget his Machiavellian machinations, when it 
becomes undeniable that Abbott is unfit to lead the nation.

-- 
David Boxall                    |  For when the One Great Scorer comes
                                |  To mark against your name,
http://david.boxall.id.au       |  He writes-not that you won or lost-
                                |  But how you played the game.
                                                      --Grantland Rice