Broadband compromise for Medowie

BY JESSICA ROUSE

The National Broadband Network is still some time away from being available to Medowie residents, but a compromise from Telstra could solve some short term problems.

Paterson MP Meryl Swanson is celebrating what she believes is a massive win for residents with Telstra agreeing to construct a "top-hat" in the Pacific Dunes Estate, which will allow 250 homes to connect to the ADSL. The work will also "backhaul relief work" across Medowie - in short, it relieve congestion and increase capacity across the internet network.

The work will be completed sometime around mid-year.

The NBN has and still is, causing headaches throughout the Hunter with people having problems connecting and even more problems once they've connected.

"At this point it's going to be around 2018 but as with everything with the NBN, its been a case of we'll believe it when we're connected and rolling and things are going well because even people that are on it haven't had the speeds that they've hoped for, so there's still a lot of work to be done," said Meryl Swanson.

Meryl Swanson says she'll continue to lobby for areas in and around her electorate continuing the fight for better internet.

"Thornton is an area that springs to mind straight away, there's still a lot of issues in and around there and in and around areas where there are just problems with the NBN."

MP: NBN Rollout "a disaster" for Small Business

BY GARY-JON LYSAGHT

Small business across the Hunter are at risk of failing because of the National Broadband Network’s rollout, says Hunter MP Joel Fitzgibbon.

Joel Fitzgibbon

It comes after four businesses in Morisset were left without phone or Internet services for weeks after being switched from their old network to the NBN.

“Not only are we seeing an inferior NBN service rolled out, but the transition is hopeless,” said Fitzgibbon.

“For a small business to be without a telephone service for weeks is a disaster.”

Labor have been critical of the Coalition Government’s NBN scheme, suggesting it is inferior and outdated as soon as it's switched on.

A strong small business sector was one of the talking points for the NBN, begun by Malcolm Turnbull in his capacity as Communications Minister and continued when he succeeded Tony Abbott for the top job.

But Joel Fitzgibbon said it only hurts them.

“Small businesses are going without telephone and Internet services literally for weeks.  That’s a disaster,” he said.

“The Government needs to apologise; to intervene and to sort these problems out.”

Jason Miles is one of the small business owners put out by the NBN.  He told the Lakes Mail it's severely hampered his business.

"I reckon we're running at about 10 per cent of what I'm used to.  Where I might usually get 100 people coming through the door per day, I'm down to 10.  Maximum," he said.

"The big problem is people don't have a choice to switch their landline over to the new system," Joel Fitzgibbon said.

Labor's NBN promise to Thornton

BY JARROD MELMETH

Shadow Minister for Communication, Jason Clare today visited Thornton alongside Labor Candidate for Paterson Meryl Swanson to deliver his promise of providing 19-thousand homes and businesses in Thornton with fibre to the-premises NBN if a Labor government wins this Saturday's federal election.

Across the Hunter Labor have promised to deliver fiber-to-the-premises to over 50,000 homes and businesses.

Jason Clare says Thornton deserves a better rate version of the NBN and not the 'fraudband' the coalition are rolling out.

"When I was here last year I met a nurse who has to climb on her roof to download her roster. She has to get on her roof with a laptop and a dongle. That is how bad it is her in Thornton."

Meryl Swanson says Labor's proper NBN is going to make a difference to not only peoples lives but also their livelihoods.

"Let me tell you it [the coalitions NBN] is not teething problems, it is a design problem. One we will fix with fibre to the premise NBN."

Labor says it's network costs less than the coalitions to operate due to not having the cost of putting in new copper, not having the cost of fixing the old copper and not having the cost of the electricity that comes with running the 30,000 nodes that come with Malcolm Turnbull's copper version of the NBN.

"Australia has dropped from 30th in the world to 60th in the world over the past 3 years due to Malcolm Turnbull rolling out second rate copper." Mr. Clare Said.

Labor have capped their NBN spend at $57 billion.

Shadow Minister for Communication Jason Clare in Thornton today.

NBN rollout: from node to premises.

BY JESSICA ROUSE

HUNTER residents were assured yesterday that if they have already received the Coalition's fibre-to-the-node connection, they won't be left behind when Labor's fibre-to-the-premises connection is rolled out.

Labor's latest National Broadband Network policy pledges fibre-to-the-node connections will be stopped once contracts are completed, with all connections transitioning to fibre-to-the-premises.

Labor Candidate for Shortland Pat Conroy said HUNTER residents who need the connection will get it.

“We will be increasing the number of households who get fibre-to-the-premises by $2 million which means there’s a very good chance that Hunter residents will get fibre-to-the-premises. We can’t give a guarantee, some Hunter residents may be better off with a wireless solution”.

Labor is promising to deliver the initial NBN rollout by 2022 at a cost of $57 billion, a figure which has nearly doubled from an original estimate of $29.5 billion under the current government.

“To put it simply, under Malcom Turnbull the NBN has doubled in cost and has delivered a speed of less than a quarter of what was promised and that’s why fibre’s so important; you do it once, you do it to the home and you do it fibre and that’s Labor’s commitment”.

Mr Conroy said Labor currently has no timetable for the transition of node to premises for customers.