back to article Junior telcos tie knot in NBN Co copper plan

Another day, another stick in the spokes: the Competitive Carriers Coalition (CCC) has taken exception to reports that NBN Co isn't interested in owning Telstra's copper network under the government's fibre-to-the-node network rollout. The CCC's announcement will further complicate what's looking like a Gordian knot made of …

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  1. Denarius
    Mushroom

    why did governemnt businesses get sold off?

    private sector efficiencies, lower costs blah blah. So far, seen none of it. Now this comms mess just keeps getting worse. Cant believe I am typing this, but would nationalising the _hardware_ only save money ? Then apply whatever technology provides cost effective connections, shared by any reseller with the money.

    Hardware to be provided on on a cost recovery plus small research/development levy. All employees to be salaried staff. If staff need to be bribed by bonuses, they are corrupt by definition.

    1. sam bo

      Re: why did governemnt businesses get sold off?

      "If staff need to be bribed by bonuses, they are corrupt by definition."

      Well put. You are paid to do a job, you do it, you then get a bonus for doing what you were paid to do -WTF ?

      1. Rather Notsay

        Re: why did governemnt businesses get sold off?

        Bonuses aren't for doing your job, they're for doing it well. Look at the bonus-free public service, it just get more and more bloated and less and less efficient. Look in contrast at the things the private sector does: the likes of Coles and Woolworths have become more and more efficient and less bloated over time at what is an essential service: food provisioning. Performance bonuses work to get better services. Without bonuses, bad service is rewarded the same as good.

        1. Martin Budden Silver badge
          FAIL

          Re: why did governemnt businesses get sold off?

          Look at the bonus-free public service, it just get more and more bloated and less and less efficient.

          Bullshit. Don't believe the media beat-ups and the political spin. The Australian public service (which does have bonuses, by the way) is very efficient*, achieving great results with very tight budgets. There is no more fat to cut, it is already as lean as can be, and that is why further cuts must inevitably lead to break-down of (at least some) services.

          Also, please keep in mind that private sector companies must give away some money (called "profit") to the owners, which means the public sector can actually achieve more for the same total spend.

          *pretty graph

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: why did governemnt businesses get sold off?

          @Rathernotsay sez - Look at the bonus-free public service, it just get more and more bloated and less and less efficient.

          References please. Medicare is so efficient that there are actual laws on the books restricting it (in certain ways) from competing with private health providers.

    2. Thorne

      Re: why did governemnt businesses get sold off?

      They get sold off because no politician has foresight greater than the next election. Selling off assets gives them a positive budget, a big pile of cash for tax breaks and a slush fund for vote buying.

      If they lose the election then the missing assets is someone else's problem.

      The problem is us tax payers have to pay the cost of their lack of foresight

      1. LaeMing

        Re: The problem is us tax payers have to pay the cost of their lack of foresight

        The problem is us tax payers (in aggregate) keep voting for the buggers!

    3. poopypants

      Re: why did governemnt businesses get sold off?

      I must admit, the thought of compulsory nationalisation of copper and conduits is growing on me. But only because I have no great love for Telstra, whose infrastructure was mostly paid for by the taxpayer in the first place.

  2. Sanctimonious Prick

    Slowest Fibre In The World

    If NBN Co were to do FttH, bypassing Telstra's copper, ducts, and pits (<strike>telegraph</strike> power poles are an alternative), Telstra shareholders would scream blue bloody murder! And. unfortunately, the Telstra shareholders will get their way, making Australia the global laughing stock of the Internet world, with this inferior, much slower fibre network! Pfft!

    ps. yeah, i don't have five posts up my sleeve just yet... getting there...

  3. russsh

    What a bizarrely mangled piece of logic.

    NBN Co leases facilities (exchange space, duct space, transport links, and, if Mr Turnbull's negotiation's succeed, copper pairs) from Telstra. NBN Co then provides services back into the market on non-discriminatory terms to all players including Telstra. Copper or no copper the market structure is the same.

    1. Jason Ozolins

      The market structure is exactly the same except that with FTTN, it is at the moment unclear under what arrangements the last mile medium will be tested, remediated and maintained, and how much of the market will actually be reliably served by FTTN. So it isn't really the same at all.

      I'm not bagging FTTB: it sounds like a credible "least worst" option for MDUs and there is always scope for building copper to be renewed; but betting the farm on how well Telstra has maintained its last mile copper over the last ten years is "a brave move, Minister."

  4. Medixstiff

    Can Aussie pollies do anything right?

    I mean they dodged the housing affordability issue that something like 80% of people brought up as their top worry, they don't have a problem installing pink batts into a limited amount of households, yet they make every excuse under the sun to improve communications that everyone, especially country people actually need.

    They have no problems approving themselves pay rises, personally I believe a new political party needs to be created in Australia, made up of people that have actually worked in the real world and been successful, either with their own business or in a particular field, that way we get rid of the rot and replace it with people that have actually WORKED for a living, understand that everything isn't rosy, have had SLA's and KPI's and actually want to do something for the country they love.

    1. LaeMing
      Unhappy

      Re: Can Aussie pollies do anything right?

      But virtually no-one would vote for them anyway, because the average human can't handle a choice of more than 2 options.

    2. andro

      Re: Can Aussie pollies do anything right?

      I think you'll find the liberal party are running the country like a business. Trying to spend the least amount of money on the least amount of stuff they can get away with for short term profit.

      The government however should be trying to do what is best for the people. They should be prepared to spend money to keep the economy moving.

      Those who I know who work in Parliament are some of the hardest working people I know - you just wouldnt know it! The media is very selective on what it reports and heaps more goes on than most people know about. Huge documents are researched and picked apart and negotiated on very limited timeframes, and they need to balance all the different groups trying to influence them different directions.

      Then they need to go in to damage control mode when the media runs an unfair one sided over simplification on every subject thinking they can summerise 800 pages of complexity in 1 headline. If that was possible Im sure the results we see would be a lot better! Its horrible work/life balance.

      The oversimplification of politics in the media is really unfortunate as it has a huge effect on what people think.

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