Local businesses in Legana have reported they have had no internet connectivity since Monday, meaning they haven’t been able to access vital business support tools like eftpos.
“This week we’ve heard about the blow out in the buying of 15 million metres of inferior copper for the NBN rollout in Tasmania, now we hear of small businesses unable to go about their business because of another Turnbull NBN fail.” Mr Mitchell said.
Labor understands the importance of the NBN. It was Labor’s vision for a broadband future that led to the creation of the NBN and it was Labor that properly invested in a real NBN.
Unfortunately the Turnbull/Abbott government made it known even before the 2013 election that it was going to frustrate the delivery of the fibre to premises model that Labor proposed for the NBN.
The change of course embarked upon by the Liberal government has diverted resources from the delivery of the original vision to a second rate NBN which fails consumers in business and homes.
Virginia Bower from St Johns Foot Clinic said “my business along with most of Legana’s other small businesses have been without internet, phone or EFTPOS facilities for five days. With no communication from the NBN as to when it might be fixed.”
“Unfortunately businesses and consumers in Legana have been frustrated firstly by delays in the delivery of the NBN to a large part of Legana which are directly related to the change of focus dictated by the government and secondly by an unexplained outage for the last five days.” Mr Hart said.
Businesses are entitled to expect that access to internet, in particular broad band internet is treated in much the same was as access to water and power.
It is unacceptable to have reported to us that service providers and the wholesaler have been referring complaints about outages to each other.
Consumers are entitled to be informed as to the cause of the outage so as to maintain confidence in the NBN.
BRIAN MITCHELL MP FEDERAL LABOR MEMBER FOR LYONS, ROSS HART MP FEDERAL LABOR MEMBER FOR BASS
