Internet Australia CEO Laurie Patton has hit out again at NBN chief Bill Morrow for comments on national media that the National Broadband Network is being built for the future.
“This is simply not the case,” Patton said of Morrow’s comments on ABC News 24, reiterating Internet Australia’s position that the current NBN rollout continues to use fibre-to-the node (FTTN), which relies on Telstra's ageing copper wires, and that IA's “globally recognised technical experts say FTTN will need to be replaced in 10 to 15 years, if not sooner”.
"What's more, the reports we receive from FTTN customers reveal that not only are we building a technically redundant NBN that will not meet our future needs, it's not even delivering what many people want today", Patton says.
“IA has been asked to comment on questions regarding Mr Morrow's remuneration.
{loadposition peter}"While we consider this to be a legitimate question for the Government our concern is with the inferior technological choices being pursued by NBN and the problems people are experiencing getting connected.”
Patton cites an Essential poll of last year which found people overwhelmingly regard the Internet as an essential service. “IA assisted Essential in developing the poll, which it says provides all the proof needed to support its campaign for better broadband.
"In the 21st Century access to fast, affordable broadband is not a luxury it is the building block for economic and social development.
"Providing people with the Internet has to be a top priority for government. It's the key to a better world based around equality of access to information and improved provision of critical services such as online health and education.
"The NBN is a complex startup. Like all such ventures, in order to be successful the ability to adapt and adjust strategic direction is imperative," Patton reiterates.
Patton repeats IA’s position advocating new technology - ‘fibre to the driveway’ - also known as fibre to the distribution point, or FTTdp), which he says was not available when Labor launched the NBN or when then prime minister Tony Abbott told his then communications minister Malcolm Turnbull to "take the knife to the NBN".
"There are some great people working at NBN who would be very pleased and relieved to receive new riding instructions from the Government that allowed them to build a future-proofed NBN capable of meeting our long term needs," Patton claims.