[AusNOG] background radiation was: "i want a pony!"(wasRe:Longlive the NBN. The NBN is dead?! [personal])

[Glenn Lake]

If we are being serious (and to be honest I can't really tell if we are all
being serious today) - here is what I don't like:

* What was the population of Australia when PSTN was being rolled out
(particularly population density and concentration)?
* Who else at the time could have provided this service commercially?
* When it was sold off we created the exact same situation that we are all
in complete agreement is unacceptable (Telstra and their abuse of power)
* Until competition was forced into the market by deregulation, what options
did we have? ISDN data calls with timed call charges? Local calls costs
rising whenever Telecom could convince the government that it was necessary,
line rental costs rising without increased service levels, international
calling costs that would bankrupt the average family after 10 minutes of
talking.

As to Roland's comment - I agree - Competition is not working in a lot of
areas - which is why we have to do something.   NBN is one strategy, and you
believe that an NBN will create a competitive environment, and to some
degree that could be true, but it certainly eliminates the possibility of
alternative innovative technology in the mid to long term future.   The NBN
controls all switching and terminating equipment on the NBN, and we can
innovate our services that run on top of that, but within the limitations
and restrictions that will be imposed.

Governments should get involved when anti-competitive behaviour is
exhibited.  I fail to see however, how the answer is to create a new
government controlled monopoly that will be sold off in the future.   

Looking forward 6 years, I can just imagine the headlines :  "Pay TV,
Telephone and Internet costs to rise",  " NBNCo raises wholesale costs due
to unforseen maintenance and repair costs, increasing wages bill",  "NBNCo
issues cost justification to increase access pricing" etc etc.    or even
"1000's of customers suffered complete communications blackouts today as
NBNCo technicians go on strike over pay dispute"  

Ok enough being serious for today - it's hurting  my brain 

Glenn





-----Original Message-----
From: ausnog-bounces at lists.ausnog.net
[mailto:ausnog-bounces at lists.ausnog.net] On Behalf Of Matthew Moyle-Croft
Sent: Thursday, 12 August 2010 6:43 PM
To: roland at chan.id.au
Cc: ausnog at ausnog.net; ausnog-bounces at lists.ausnog.net
Subject: Re: [AusNOG] background radiation was: "i want a
pony!"(wasRe:Longlive the NBN. The NBN is dead?! [personal])

Brilliant Roland.

PMG built the PSTN with regulatory certainty for more than 80 years.   Money
was invested and built out for the good of all, then it was sold off.

So, the Government is just following a proven business model.  

What's not to like?

MMC

On 12/08/2010, at 5:22 PM, <roland at chan.id.au> wrote:

> Who built the PSTN? Who paid for it? Did they get a fair return from
decades of line rental  and the eventual sale of Telstra?
> 




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