Internet Australia has reaffirmed its commitment to continue its aggressive and persistent campaign for a return to a fibre-based National Broadband Network despite the Government holding the line on maintaining its mixed technology NBN model.
Continuation of the campaign to pressure the Federal Government to move away from the mixed-technology approach was the top policy issue at IA’s annual general meeting held in Melbourne on Thursday.
CEO Laurie Patton says IA will continue to be at the “vanguard of efforts” to convince the Federal Government to abandon its copper-based multi-technology mix (MTM) model in favour of a return to fibre.
And at a Digital Future forum last month, Patton repeated IA’s argument that innovation needs to be underpinned by a “21st century national broadband network” and his criticism of the technology underpinning the NBN as it is now being rolled out.
“Sadly, we’ve moved from a state of the art fibre to the premises (FttP) model to one that relies heavily on Telstra’s old and decrepit copper network – and the not so old, but not exactly modern, hybrid fibre coaxial (HFC) networks originally built for pay TV by Optus and Telstra 20 years ago,” Patton told the forum.
“We didn’t argue over the need to provide other essential services such as roads, rail, water and power, so why are we doing it over this piece of critical 21st century infrastructure?
“IA has previously warned that much of the copper-based NBN will need to be replaced “in 10 to 20 years’ time, if not sooner.”
At Thursday’s AGM, IA Chair George Fong was re-elected for his last term in the role and also referenced the NBN and, more broadly, the development of the Internet in Australia.
Fong said that IA had come a “long way in recent years towards meeting the challenges of representing our members and stakeholders as Australia grapples with the need to build a future-proofed Internet that will help to improve our economic and social development".
Fong also said that, in addition to its campaign for a fibre-based NBN, IA will continue to advocate a range of strategies designed to increase access to the Internet and to eliminate the “digital divide”.
"Increasingly, government departments and agencies are calling on us for expert advice and assistance based on the considerable knowledge and experience of our directors and members. This includes the ACCC, the Digital Transformation Office and the Productivity Commission.
“IA has supported the ACCC’s proposal for a speed and performance review, and has recommended to the Productivity that the telco Universal Service Obligation be expanded to include data (and that the government provide the necessary funding).
“IA has worked in conjunction with the Communications Alliance and finally secured the release of a $128 million package of support for the implementation of the Data Retention Scheme. That said, it continues to point out that the legislation is “fundamentally flawed” and to note that the government’s funding package does not fully compensate ISP’s for their capex outlays and provides no ongoing operational funding,” Fong concluded.