Broadband trickle

By Kelly Yates
Rachel Wilson has been running her online business, which sells electrical and mobile phone accessories, since January last year.
She says the inability to get wireless and ADSL internet makes it difficult to run her business.
“We have a satellite on the roof but it only works when it wants to,” she said.
“It is very frustrating. I can be on for half an hour and then it just cuts off.”
The 39-year-old said the lack of internet also impacted on her two children, a university student and a VCE student.
“My kids have to go to friends’ houses to use their internet or the library. It’s ridiculous,” she said.
“We’re paying $75 a month for internet we can’t even get.”
State Shadow Minister for Information and Communication Technology Gordon Rich-Phillips has received a “growing number” of complaints about the lack of ADSL broadband throughout the state.
“It’s ridiculous that in Narre Warren South, 40km from the centre of the city, there are patches of poor broadband,” he said.
Mr Rich-Phillips said he believed the problems stemmed from the Federal Government announcing the National Broadband Network (NBN).
“The private companies are not spending the money now because they are waiting for the government to do so,” he said.
“But there’s no guarantee it will work.”
Holt MP Anthony Byrne said under the Gillard Government’s $11 billion National Broadband Village (NBN), every house, school and business in Australia would have access to affordable fast broadband.
“The Coalition has pledged to scrap the NBN which will hurt residents, students and businesses in Holt,” he said.
Narre Warren South MP Judith Graley said the State Government had been working with the Municipal Association of Victoria and the City of Casey in an effort to have the NBN rolled out as soon as possible in Melbourne’s growth areas.
“While the provision of broadband infrastructure is a Commonwealth responsibility, I have raised this issue on many occasions with state and federal ministers on behalf of my constituents,” Ms Graley said.
“The previous Howard Government’s neglect of this important policy area has meant that the infrastructure has not been in place for the outer suburbs. The Federal Labor Government’s National Broadband Network will improve access to broadband in our local area.”