The Minister for Information Technology, Senator Richard Alston today told Australian internet users frustrated by slow dial-up speeds that they will have to keep waiting to be guaranteed even minimal internet speeds.
The Estens Report recommended that the Government require Telstra to guarantee a minimum internet speed of 19.2 kilobits per second, but Senator Alston’s attitude is that the current complaints-based system of guaranteeing minimum internet speeds is working, and is enough to satisfy Estens.
In other words, even if the Howard Government acts on the recommendations of the Estens Report there will be no improvement for internet users. Once again, the report has been shown to be a farce.
In Senate Estimates today I asked Senator Alston when the Howard Government would require Telstra to guarantee the appallingly slow speed mandated by Recommendation 4.1 of the Estens report, and his reply was “There is no great urgency”.
Senator Alston has given Telstra the green light to do more of the same – leaving customers with line splitting technology (pair gain systems) meaning that their internet connections will always be slow.
He continues to decide not to put pressure on the incumbent monopoly provider to improve their technology and invest in their network.
19.2 kbps is far from adequate – even Senator Alston conceded that it wasn’t world’s best practice – and still he won’t guarantee it. Senator Alston has claimed he is future proofing the Australian Telecommunications Network, but in reality he is locking it into the past.
The telecommunications debate in Australia should be about the provision of broadband services and how we use them. Instead we are arguing over 19.2 kbps dial-up speeds.
26 May 2003. Media contact: Adina Cirson – (02) 6277 3334 or the Electorate Office – 0418 488 295.
