COPPER CONTINUES TO DENY AUSTRALIANS THE SPEEDS THEY ARE WILLING TO PAY FOR

Labor welcomes the agreement between Optus and the ACCC to compensate customers who have been sold speeds which the copper NBN infrastructure cannot deliver.

 

This follows the recent agreement between the regulator and Telstra where 42, 000 customers are to be compensated after being sold a product that could not be delivered. Over 56 per cent of these Telstra customers were on 100 Mbps plans which could not be provided over their copper connection. It was not fit for purpose.

 

On every measure, Malcolm Turnbull's multi-technology mix has become a liability.

Consumers and small businesses are stuck with a copper lotto in terms of what speeds they can receive, and taxpayers have been left with a dud network that costs more and does less.

 

And after repeated cost and time blowouts, the HFC rollout has been brought to a halt because the technology still does not work reliably.

 

Labor has consistently led calls for more transparent disclosure of maximum attainable speeds on the copper NBN, yet the Minister has been a disinterested spectator and NBNCo have bizarrely claimed this would be tantamount to the company becoming ‘the police’.

 

Labor reiterates its calls for the Turnbull Government to abandon its failed copper rollout, and at a minimum take fibre to the kerb where it remains feasible.

 

Australians deserve a real broadband network that delivers the speeds and reliability they need for their businesses, education and a truly digitally enabled society.