BIRRR takes the fight to parliament

Better Internet for Rural, Regional and Remote Australia (BIRRR)

THE BIRRR advocate group has (once again) showcased to the Federal Government the ever-growing challenges end users face in getting decent bush broadband connections, likening the system to deliver and maintain rural, regional and remote internet services to a “driverless train” that seems destined to track along a “circle of blame”.

BIRRR representatives Kylie Stretton and Rachel Hay presented statistics, case studies and recommendations around the huge range of connection issues that rural Australians face to the Joint Standing Committee on the National Broadband Network in Townsville.

The structure for nbn-to-customer delivery is fundamentally flawed – we liken the set-up to a driverless train with a series of carriages that are poorly identified and incredibly difficult for the customer to access and use.

BIRRR co-founder Kylie Stretton explained the current situation to the Senate public hearing.

“Sometimes (customers) are unaware of their options, because there are so many people involved… whether they should contact their retail service provider, nbn, or an installer?

“Sometimes they have not contacted anyone, because they are really confused… there are so many carriages to this train and not one clear driver – it is very confusing.

“(BIRRR) is often contacted as the last resort – people feel like they have nowhere else to go.”

The ever-growing number of services on which businesses and households are dependent (e.g ATO, education and health portals) make digital access vital, regardless of postcode. Data limits on unreliable connections in RRR Australia contrast sharply with rising urban download rates (with average Australian download on nbn services now 144GB/month and Sky Muster satellite customers limited to less than half of that ‘on peak’ for both upload and download).

Every Australian, irrespective of where they live or work, must be confident they can connect to quality, reliable, accessible and affordable broadband and voice services. Customer support guarantees must be underpinned with commitments by nbn, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and government, to ensure that RRR areas are not disadvantaged due to their population and postcode,” Ms Sparrow said.

BIRRR’s ambition – to become redundant – feels like a very distant dream.