From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Warrigal
Bonner Road LISTON NSW
MSI 1983
STANTHORPE QLD 4380
Ph. 07 46861271
Dear Investigating Committee Member,
I have been a rural internet user for approximately five years and have experienced varying levels of frustration with the capability of my network over this time
and I am also a holder of T1 and T2 Telstra shares.
I would like to express my views regarding the privatisation of Telstra.
I fear that privatisation of Telstra will result in a decline in my communications capability.
I live 15km from the nearest exchange (LISTON.) which is a further 15km from the closest town (StANTHORPE.)
Our area is considered to be high lightning strike zone and as a result has needed more than normal repairs to maintain reasonable service. Also there is a continuing growth in new homes and service provision in this area which has seen the cables here being loaded to capacity.
My recentTelsra MOLDS TEST result of 31.2kbps shows that the physical copper network to our property is capable of Effective Data Transfer Rates up to this level, which indeed has been proven to be achievable by the Internet Assistance Program's effective data throughput tests.
The governments regulatory protection only guarantees maintenance of networks to a level capable of data transfer at a rate of 19.2 kbps.
When in the hands of private companies whose sole mission is providing profit for shareholders, I am sure that our network will only be begrudgingly maintained at the minimum required standard of 19.2 kbps which is considerably lower than the 31.2 kbps we have now.
I believe that at the moment, our network management is more focussed on community service delivery rather than producing shareholder profit and this will be reversed if full privatisation occurs.
The maintenance and future upgrading of regional networks is not profitable and therefore needs to be government owned and managed differently.
I believe that the following points should be adopted in legislation for regulation of our communications:
Maintenance of customer's existing phone line capability at its current level i.e. in my case 31.2 kbps, must be continued.
For those with less than 19.2 kbps, their lines should be upgraded to 19.2 immediately with 31.2 as a short term minimum goal.
Regional Australians should not only be availed the same Effective Data Transfer Rates as Urban Australians, this should be provided at the same end user price.
The Internet Assistance Program, which I have found to be of invaluable assistance with brilliant staff, needs to be made permanent and upgraded to provide more testing resources such as Tracert and Ping tests and provide alternate comparative ISP dialups, so that after a customers system has been optimised and their Molds Test performed, the quality of their Internet Service Provider's contracted I P Carrier network can be tested and if found to be below an established benchmark, the problem can be quickly rectified by regulatory enforcement process.
My experience has also shown that Internet Service Providers are sometimes too quick to blame the customer's system and Telstra's physical copper lines when the problem can lie with the ISP and its choice of network carrier. As pointed out below, the problems they can cause are exacerbated for regional customers.
The
government must strictly regulate the quality of service provided
by carriers. This not only refers to the physical copper network
which in my case HAS BEEN PROVEN TO BE ACCEPTABLE FOR DATA TRANSFER
AT THE PRESENT TIME, but also to the Protocol Carrier i.e. OPTUS whom the ISP
contract to provide their service network. The reality is that while
they might appear to be complying with whatever laws are applicable, some are
over booking their lines, using less than optimal equipment and barely
providing sufficient bandwidth which results in data error increase and
response delay and these are multiplied with the further distance and
more routing connections away from the ISP site and this the problem for
regional consumers.
I thank you
for your consideration of my submission and invite you contact me on 07
46861271 or by email warrigal@acenet.net.au for discussion
of the matter or background of my experiences which form the basis of this
submission.
Yours
sincerely,