Malcolm Turnbull the federal opposition communications spokesman has come out swinging against an NBN plan that will force Australian’s to “opt out’ rather than “opt in” to the new $43 Billion National Broadband network.
Malcolm Turnbull the federal opposition communications spokesman has come out swinging against an NBN plan that will force Australian’s to “opt out’ rather than “opt in” to the new $43 Billion National Broadband network.
In Tasmania where the network is already being rolled Tasmanian resident are set to be told that it will be there responsibility to opt out of the network, which will cost a minimum of $65 a month.
Turnbull says that the strategy “removes consumer choice.” He has also said that the Opposition “would not” axe what has been done to date with the NBN project.
“We would assess what should be done with the rest of the project, look at that, do a rigorous cost benefit analysis of that and what we would, as far as the existing investment is concerned, we would obviously make sure that that was used to its maximum effect”.
The shift from an opt-in system for the $43 billion NBN in Tasmania to an opt-out model, which could be adopted nationally, was announced yesterday by Tasmanian Premier David Bartlett.
Mr Turnbull told the Macquarie Radio Network “I honestly don’t understand his reasoning there. I mean it will involve the NBN spending more money because they’ll have to connect houses unless people expressly decline to take it.
“I mean this is basically designed to make sure that every house is connected to it,” he said.
The labor Premier in Tasmania David Bartlett claims the new laws are designed to save Tasmanian taxpayers money.
Malcolm Turnbull claims that “It means the NBN would need to spend more money”.
Yesterday some of the nation’s most influential chairmen are urging the government to obtain a cost-benefit analysis into the National Broadband Network the Australian reported.
“You’d be crazy if you didn’t assume that we could increase productivity via faster access to the internet. However, I think the lack of a business case and full publicity of that business case is throwing a lot of doubt in people’s minds about the level of expenditure,” ANZ chairman John Morschel said. “Whether the right thing to do is to cable everyone’s house or use alternative technologies as most people do at the moment, we’re yet to see.”
Turnbull also said that the move to force consumers to opt out was designed to shut out competition from Telstra and Optus.
“The whole purpose is to get rid of competition, shut down Telstra’s copper network, preclude or prevent Telstra or Optus from offering competitive broadband and voice services over their cable networks. If consumers want a fixed line for telephones or internet access they are going to have to use NBN’s line, like it or not,” Mr Turnbull” said.
He also claimed that households will be charged additional wiring costs.
Mr Turnbull said he was committed to “not spending billions of dollars of taxpayers’ money with your eyes shut”.
