[LINK] Internet access survey points to need for universal service guarantee

[David Boxall]

 From another report on the same site (RRR=Rural, regional and remote):
Internet in RRR Australia is mainly used for business
88pc of RRR respondents stated current data did not meet their needs
Mobile broadband costs – an average of $9.27 per GB, some consumers 
paying up to $20 per GB
Satellite broadband costs – an average of $15.96 per GB, some consumers 
paying up to $70 per GB
63pc of respondents shaped more than six times per year, with over 40pc 
shaped every month
74pc of mobile broadband users and 89pc of satellite users have download 
speeds under 5Mbps
72pc of mobile broadband users had to purchase extra equipment at their 
own cost, usually between $1000 - $2000
73 pc respondents do not have reliable mobile coverage

<http://www.queenslandcountrylife.com.au/story/3886844/birrr-calls-for-service-guarantee/>

Growing fears that current telecommunications infrastructure will not 
support rural Australia’s future needs is driving a push by bush 
internet advocacy group Better Internet for Rural Regional and Remote 
Australia for an established universal service guarantee for regional 
Australians.

BIRRR this week released its ground-breaking 51-page Regional Internet 
Access survey results, reinforcing many of the anecdotal stories of 
frustration and despair that surround communications in the bush.

“The report found that rural, regional and remote people are severely 
disadvantaged in terms of access, speeds, cost and reliability of their 
internet connections, whether they be via mobile broadband or via 
satellite,” group co-founder Kristy Sparrow said.

“These issues continue to have a dramatic effect on rural, regional and 
remote people’s business, the education of their children and 
themselves, and on their personal well-being.

“It also illustrates the notion – even with the onset of nbn’s Skymuster 
satellite – that data growth will soon outgrow the nbn Fair Use Policy 
that will see 75GB/month peak use data limits on customers.”

Kristy said people were clearly worried that as more and more activities 
become data-hungry, current and proposed plans will be unable to handle 
the extra load.

“We already know data use growth is a continuing upward trend. The 
Australian Bureau of Statistics reports average broadband downloads grew 
more than 33 per cent from December 2013 to December 2014.

“This same report showed that, on average, each Australian household has 
eight internet-connected devices – already many bush connections cannot 
support that load, and there is increasing concern that data limits 
announced for SkyMuster by nbn co will simply not be sufficient into the 
future.

“Nor will it end the #datadrought. The Long Term Satellite is not a 
long-term solution for rural, regional and remote users of the internet.

“There needs to be an established service guarantee for internet 
services Australia-wide. Service should be equitable in terms of speed, 
download capabilities and costs.

“If this does not occur, regional Australia will be left even further 
behind.”

Fellow member Amanda Salisbury agreed that people had anticipated all 
the distress being experienced would be alleviated with Skymuster, and 
said there was a growing unease that it wouldn’t be, based on previous 
experience of technology uptake and an increasingly internet-based 
lifestyle.

Murgon hay farmer Claire Kapernick has used a maximum of 27GB of data a 
month but now that she’s connected to the SkyMuster satellite, she can 
see her household using all of their 60GB a month plan.

“We have four children, two at unit and two and the local high school. 
They’ve all got assignments to do.

“Two years ago we had a lot less internet and it was enough, but pages 
now are much more graphic.

“I’m just not sure that it will be enough in 12 months time.

Another major ‘sticking point’ in the survey is off-peak periods to be 
enforced via Skymuster.

“With much of the data available on plans currently being offered to 
customers looking to use SkyMuster only accessible between 1am and 7am, 
it is simply not ‘user friendly’,” Kristy Sparrow said.

Ms Kapernick concurred, saying she was no night owl and couldn’t see 
herself using much of her 30GB off-peak allowance.

“The survey illustrates clearly that regional Australians are frustrated 
with their current set-ups and not confident about long-term ‘fixes’ 
such as the SkyMuster satellite (LTSS),” Kristy concluded.

-- 
David Boxall                         | "Cheer up" they said.
                                      | "Things could be worse."
http://david.boxall.id.au            | So I cheered up and,
                                      | Sure enough, things got worse.
                                      |              --Murphy's musing