The NBN is no different from any other projects the government has laid its dead hand upon. Government interference has ruined health and education; it has made a dog's breakfast of trade, immigration and defence, treating the last as a job creation/vote buying exercise with little or no application to safety and protection of the country. Industry is also a victim of government, and good jobs and wages are a thing of the past.

The only thing that government (state) had right was provision of electricity as a public essential service at reasonable prices. But, even that they couldn't live with, and they sold it and us out to foreign gougers.

Just who are the naifs that expected the NBN to work?

What is patently missing here is bipartisan pragmatism and just simply making the nation the most important priority! And instead of quite imbecilic political contests, solely and exclusively for power!

Nothing more!

Bipartisan pragmatism would have seen compromise and fibre to the kerb? And coupled to cable TV? Which would have helped pay for it!

Moreover, the whole thing was rolled out ass first! When the biggest cities should have got it first! No question!

Then allowed the exponentially expanding profit and revenue to roll it out to the rest, the way our original phone service such as it was, was implemented?

And far easier if Telecom was still public property and able therefore, to underwrite it as public amenity!

Our particular gift seems to be "fixing" mistakes? With double helpings of the same!

I mean one doesn't get out of a very deep hole by digging deeper and faster!

When folks aren't smart enough to know if they are or aren't fair dinkum Australians? How in heaven's name are they to be trusted to roll out a multi billion dollar, nation building, connectivity service?

What's has been missing in this nations politics and for yonks, is the concept of public service!

Which by and large, has been replaced by power hungry pomposity and pork barrelling!

And for what?

So rather than just looking like a potential banana republic going somewhere to happen, we can become one!? And the poor white trash at the ass end of the world?
Alan B.

As Don indicates the NBN was one of those projects that sounded really good at meetings, but which a proper cost-benefit analysis would have quickly killed off. The reality is that cable modems, if the user has a cable TV connection, was good enough for almost all applications. I have two kids and myself downloading at the same time over cable with no probs. Cooper wire connection also worked at least tolerably. Now those working sections are to be switched of for an NBN which would operate at a decent speed if the providers allocated enough disk space on their servers - why they don't do that has to do with the way the market operates and the government's instance that the NBN has to earn a return.

In other words the mess doesn't have anything to do with the technology as such but the vast, and largely unnecessary investment which the government now somehow has to justify. The original project had elements of social justice in it, which still seem to be there, to the point of lawn bowling clubs in Tasmania and remote shacks being connected with fibre optic cable, at vast expense, when the original copper connection was good enough for what they wanted. It was about giving everyone a digital "fair shake", and doing so quickly.

To make matters worse for this "vision" if the government had ignored the area entirely, except for regulation, then the bulk of users would now be much better off. If consumers wanted better access they could pay for it, and providers would then have the financial capacity to allocate enough disk space

Where there is no accountability... there is no penalty
Where there is no penalty one can do as they please particularly political advisors.
Can an advisor have dual citizenship?
A country or state can be run into the ground by individuals and they can walk away picking up their entitlements and board appointments along the way.
When you have an ignorant populace you have the incompetent politicians all deserve and where you have incompetent politicians you have incompetent self serving advisors
Whether Liberal or Labor the smell of incompetence is the same.
They hire advisors according to the BS and hype surrounding them and when there's a screw up, disappearing acts ensue along with claims of deniability meanwhile the dumb public is waiting for someone else to do something.
No we have this farcical dual citizenship that all and ensundry knew nothing about and the system was without valid vetting.
What other politicians over the last 30 years had dual citizenship and where was their allegiance in certain matters of state
The country is a joke and it's no wonder no one takes Australia seriously.
Mediocrity at its best....no doubt all the Jingos will rise in defence of the indefensible

Yes, extremely sad.

I don't think though that any politician ever expected to make a profit there - it was ideologically motivated: what they wanted is to push the internet and more digital technology on us, so they can better spy on us and control us. Except for those living in remote country without any connection, 99% of us already had all the connectivity we ever needed (and the others could have their needs met simply by using two or more copper wires in parallel).

When they come to our suburb, we should meet them with clubs and spades and burn down their trucks and equipment.

Immessagio...

Since we now live in a Godless society, and juxtaposed with that, a multicultural society, both with a very weak cultural influence overall; laws made by politicians, are also weak, vague and self serving.
What is the yardstick of reason behind lawmakers?

I am in an areea where there is poor or no mobile phone service. NBN not connected yet; however, as it is in the area, when the power goes off, which it does frequently, the landline doesn't work. I wrote state and federal MPs who couldn't explain why. Only after Cyclone Debbie went through and those in rural areas couldn't contact the SES was it explained about the NBN node and the landlines not working when the power and internet went down. So, what does a mid-70's couple do in an emergency?

Hey Newfie, you need a genie, a C.B and a handle! Got your ears on good buddy, 10/4.
Alan B.

The original government vision for the NBN was not FTTH. The coalition and ALP toyed with various mixes of wireless, copper cable and fiber. In 2007 I summarized the proposals as:

"Both 12 mbps ADSL to at least 98% of the population:

* ALP: FTTN ADSL to 98%, rest unspecified "improved
broadband services"
* Coalition: 99% with ADSL2+ and WiMax"

From: "Why Max? Demystifying Broadband options for Tasmania",
2007: http://www.tomw.net.au/technology/it/broadband/

In 2008 the Australian Government appointed a "National Broadband Network Panel of Experts" to select from the wireless, copper cable and fiber options. Much to everyone's surprise, the panel rejected ALL the proposals and recommended FTTH instead: http://ministers.treasury.gov.au/DisplayDocs.aspx?doc=pressreleases/2009/036.htm&pageID=003&min=wms&Year=&DocType

At the time I thought this was a good idea. But is wasn't. The community thought they were going to get cheap high speed broadband by fiber: they can't. Fiber is affordable for high density city areas and new greenfield suburbs. It is not affordable for old suburbs or sparsely populated remote locations. Mobile data will take much of the business, as I wrote in 2005: http://www.tomw.net.au/nt/networked.html#wires

Lets see; Labor gave $11b to the NBN's biggest competitors and then is surprised, Surprised, SURPRISED that it funds the roll-out of G5. G4 stymied NBN, G5 will kill it.

Just like failed renewables, a failed engineering / technical project designed by Arts degree incompetents.