Regional Telecommunications Review - Short Online Submissions
Full name: Wallace John Murray
Date received:15 July 2015
Chapter 1: How does demand for telecommunications services inform the Review?
Please comment on how your reliance on telecommunications in regional Australia differs from urban areas.
We have been told for sometime by both sides of politics and every commercial operation going around that we need telecommunications for every aspect of our lives. Constant reminders of this come in many ways; advertising, communication, etc. It is becoming increasingly difficult to operate daily without telecommunications - renewing subscriptions, dealing with institutions such as government bodies and banks is all becoming more difficult in regional areas and even more so if you are elderly and don't process, or want to process, the skills required. More and more institutions are shutting regional offices as more operations go 'on-line'.
All this is okay to some extent if the services are available in regional areas, BUT they aren't.
Chapter 2: How are telecommunications services in regional, rural and remote Australia delivered?
Please comment on the delivery of services for example over fixed networks, mobile networks or satellite.
I live just out of Bathurst NSW - one could say a large thriving regional centre just a couple of hundred k's from Sydney. I conduct my own home based business, my wife is a school teacher (constantly being told that she must upgrade all levels in the classroom to cater for the new age of telecommunications) and I have two university age children living at home (both are studying full-time but yet have to take correspondence courses each semester because the uni chooses to function this way - probably for two reasons; its cheaper and the reliance on the internet.
I was told sometime ago by a senior Telstra officer that I wouldn't see fixed broadband (10klms from Bathurst) in my life time. We a couple of years ago applied for Satellite broadband with the Labor Governments NBN roll out (that is another story in itself). A dish was provided and we connected through one of the providers. All is okay, service is limited and a little slow depending on the weather. Just recently we were informed that our limit would be reduced - I considered that out limit wasn't really adequate for our household needs but didn't apply for more due to the cost. The limit we now get is the result, as I understand it of governments signing up anyone and anybody to the system without any regard as to its capacity - a hopeless situation with the needs of our household.
We have a landline - wiring put in the ground 80 odd years ago and receiving no maintenance since. Storms (water and lightning) put the system out regularly. Standard answer from Telstra - a technician will attend to it with in 3 or 4 working days. Trouble is most of the technicians have received redundancy.
Mobile phone reception with Telstra as the provided - stand outside near the top of the veggie garden at 3 in the afternoon and you might be lucky.
Chapter 3: How are services being used in regional, rural and remote Australia?
Please comment on how telecommunication services are being used for example, interacting with government, education, health or running a business.
I live just out of Bathurst NSW - one could say a large thriving regional centre just a couple of hundred k's from Sydney. I conduct my own home based business, my wife is a school teacher (constantly being told that she must upgrade all levels in the classroom to cater for the new age of telecommunications) and I have two university age children living at home (both are studying full-time but yet have to take correspondence courses each semester because the uni chooses to function this way - probably for two reasons; its cheaper and the reliance on the internet.
I was told sometime ago by a senior Telstra officer that I wouldn't see fixed broadband (10klms from Bathurst) in my life time. We a couple of years ago applied for Satellite broadband with the Labor Governments NBN roll out (that is another story in itself). A dish was provided and we connected through one of the providers. All is okay, service is limited and a little slow depending on the weather. Just recently we were informed that our limit would be reduced - I considered that out limit wasn't really adequate for our household needs but didn't apply for more due to the cost. The limit we now get is the result, as I understand it of governments signing up anyone and anybody to the system without any regard as to its capacity - a hopeless situation with the needs of our household.
We have a landline - wiring put in the ground 80 odd years ago and receiving no maintenance since. Storms (water and lightning) put the system out regularly. Standard answer from Telstra - a technician will attend to it with in 3 or 4 working days. Trouble is most of the technicians have received redundancy.
Mobile phone reception with Telstra as the provided - stand outside near the top of the veggie garden at 3 in the afternoon and you might be lucky.
Chapter 4: Consumer safeguards
Please provide your views on current consumer safeguards and what should be considered in the future.
Is there such a thing?
Other comments
Please provide any other comments.
If the big populated areas of the country have an essential service (we are told everyday that telecommunications is an essential service) then the cost of living in this magnificent wide land is that all should have the service.
Like it or not the population of this country will have to live in the regional areas in the future.