Flawed NBN

I would like to thank Kevin Rudd and all governments since for their attitudes to the rollout of the NBN.

The attitude that it is the NBN or no phone line at all staggers me beyond belief.

From the age of 13 months I have been an epileptic. If I have a seizure and need to call a doctor I may not be able to because of a blackout.

The NBN is connected to power and when there is no power you cannot use your phone. I’ve never been any good with technology so I have only a landline and no interest in the internet.

Back in the mid 2000s we had a heatwave with temperatures in the mid 40s C for a week. The power pole which connected 18 units went out of commission for three and a half days.

We had no power. My solution was to buy the paper before 6am and spend the rest of the day in a cold bath.

On the third day, feeling ill I contacted the doctor because I feared I had heatstroke among other things. If the NBN was in then I couldn’t ring my doctor.

A couple of years ago a car smashed into a pole and put the power out in Drouin and Warragul. It was 2pm and the power was not restored until 3.33am.

Apparently the solution is another box which will give another four hours of emergency power. I will have to hope if I am going to get sick it is within the four hours.

They said I could buy a bigger one that would last longer or he could give me a spare one he had in his truck for free. The only thing is this box will only last for five years.

So he left me the box and the empty box so I would know what I have to buy in five years time to replace the one that doesn’t work anymore.

So I’ve got to pay for something when the previous system cost me nothing. Who would guess governments could be so stupid.

Bryan Ellis, Drouin

Two weeks ago at the Longwarry Service Station I left my credit card at home. The cashier took my details and I went outside to get my registration number. As I was doing that a very kind woman paid for my fuel. She left before I could say thank you.