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Turnbull has key questions to answer
Malcolm Turnbull has key questions to answer when he releases his broadband policy, the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy said today.
Over the course of the last year Mr Turnbull has made numerous statements about his plans for broadband, now it is time for detail.
He cannot hide behind glib lines. He cannot hide behind claims that there is information held by NBN Co necessary for him to cost his policy.
Mr Turnbull has not answered most of the questions put to him about broadband policy over the last twelve months.
He can no longer avoid the following questions:
ï· What is the actual cost of the Coalition broadband policy? Is it $15 billion, $20 billion, or higher? ï· Under the Coalition plan millions of Australians will get no discernible difference to their broadband speeds. Why is the Coalition proposing to spend billions for this? ï· Will people in regional Australia have to pay more than people in the cities? Will there
be a service available below $40 per month? ï· What is the actual plan for his network? How many premises will be close enough to a cabinet (within 400 metres) to get speeds of up to 80 Mbps? ï· What does the Coalition regard as adequate broadband now and for the future? What
specific upload and download speeds does he propose to guarantee? ï· What is the plan for areas covered by HFC? At the National Press club in August 2011 he said he would not overbuild HFC; on Radio National on 7 March this year he said he
will overbuild; which is it?1 ï· When will Mr Turnbull’s construction start and when will it be finished? ï· How will the full structural reform of the industry called for by the Competitive Carriers
Coalition be achieved under Mr Turnbull’s plan? ï· What source does the Coalition rely on for its comparative costing for Fibre to the Node?2 ï· What will he charge for Fibre to the Premise on Demand? Will it be up to $5000 per
premise as BT is proposing? 3
Date: 8 April 2013 Contact: Adam Sims 0408 258 457
1 Malcolm Turnbull address to National Press Club 3 August 2011 and interview with Fran Kelly Radio National Breakfast 7 March 2013.
2 The source Mr Turnbull has previously used from Alcatel-Lucent (Deploying Fiber-to-the-Most-Economic Point) identifies that FttN can be built for a third of the cost of FTTP by an incumbent who already owns the copper. 3
BT OpenReach media release 28 March 2013 http://www.openreach.co.uk/orpg/home/updates/briefings/super-fastfibreaccessbriefings/super-fastfibreaccessbriefingsarticles/nga00713.do