Local seniors had the opportunity to learn more about the National Broadband Network (NBN) rollout in and around the Mt Gravatt area, thanks to an NBN information session today hosted by Federal Member for Bonner, Ross Vasta.

NBN Co representatives, Kylie Lindsay and Johanna de Winter, joined Mr Vasta to help answer questions and provide solutions to attendees’ various connection issues.

“I’m pleased to report that 21 per cent of the NBN rollout is complete in Bonner, with all premises to have access to NBN services by 2020,” Mr Vasta said.

“Over time the NBN will replace most of the existing networks as the deliverer of a new service network. At the end of 2020, there will be further plans for path upgrades and speed building to ensure the best service is continually on offer for all users.”

“Right now, 7,500 premises in Mt Gravatt, Mt Gravatt East, Upper Mt Gravatt, Mansfield, and Holland Park West are ready to order NBN service, with 12,900 more premises expected to be ready for service by the end of the year.”

Mrs Lindsay said every household that wanted to keep their landline and internet would be required to switch over to the NBN.

“Every premise in Australia will be connected to the NBN free-of-charge. You will then have 18 months from the installation date to switch over. This will give you plenty of time to shop around and look into the options and packages available to you,” Mrs Lindsay said.

“When contacting a service provider about switching over, ask them: what plan do they suggest, whether there will be any additional installation fees, and if you can keep your current home phone number—in most cases you’ll be able to. Have a good think about what plan will suit you best, you’ll have plenty of time to decide.”

Mrs Lindsay warned that some companies were attempting to take advantage of the rollout.

“If someone shows up on your door claiming to be from NBN Co and saying you must sign up now to keep your landline or internet, this is false. To switch over, you must go through your service provider, not NBN Co, and you will have 18 months to do so,” Mrs Lindsay said.

Mr Vasta asked attendees to report any suspicious doorknockers to his office.

Mrs de Winter said people should also consider any medical devices they had currently connected to their home phone lines, and whether they would be compatible with the NBN.

“If you depend on medical alarms, auto diallers, or emergency call buttons, we recommend that you speak to your medical alarm provider before switching over to the NBN and ensure your medical device will keep working,” Mrs de Winter said.

“For additional support, you can also register your medical alarm with the NBN online at www.nbn.com.au/medicalregister or by calling 1800 227 300.”

In response to questions about whether extra boxes would be required inside the home to be connected to the NBN, Mrs Lindsay said there are a number of different solutions depending on the location of a person’s property and the service NBN Co is able to provide.

“You may have FTTP (Fibre to the Premise), FTTN (Fibre to the Node), or HFC (Hybrid Fibre Coaxial), which will determine whether you have additional devices to be installed at your premise or not. Discuss with your service provider about what will be required to be installed in your home,” Mrs Lindsay said.

Mrs Lindsay said NBN Co understood many people were frustrated about being told one thing by NBN and another by their service providers in regards to solving their connection issues. She said there is currently an ACCC investigation ongoing and that NBN Co is confident there will be positive outcomes for all consumers following the investigation.

Mr Vasta asked those with further issues or questions to contact his office or visit the NBN Co website at www.nbnco.com.au.

Local residents and business owners had the opportunity to learn more about the National Broadband Network (NBN) rollout in Wynnum and Manly, thanks to an NBN information session today hosted by Federal Member for Bonner, Ross Vasta.

NBN Co representatives, Kylie Lindsay and Johanna de Winter, joined Mr Vasta to help answer questions and provide solutions to attendees’ various connection issues.

“I’m pleased to report that 21 per cent of the NBN rollout is complete in Bonner, with all premises to have access to NBN services by 2020,” Mr Vasta said.

“Over time the NBN will replace most of the existing networks as the deliverer of a new service network. At the end of 2020, there will be further plans for path upgrades and speed building to ensure the best service is continually on offer for all users.”

Mr Vasta said the NBN would be available in the Wynnum-Manly area by mid- to late 2018.

“If you’ve been contacted by someone claiming the NBN is here already and that you must pay them to connect now, they’re scammers—please report them to my office,” Mr Vasta said.

Mrs Lindsay said every household that wanted to keep their landline and internet would be required to switch over to the NBN.

“Every premise in Australia will be connected to the NBN free-of-charge. You will then have 18 months from the installation date to switch over. This will give you plenty of time to shop around and look into the options and packages available to you,” Mrs Lindsay said.

“When contacting a service provider about switching over, ask them: what plan do they suggest, whether there will be any additional installation fees, and if you can keep your current home phone number—in most cases you’ll be able to. Have a good think about what plan will suit you best, you’ll have plenty of time to decide.”

Mrs de Winter said people should also consider any medical devices they had currently connected to their home phone lines, and whether they would be compatible with the NBN.

“If you depend on medical alarms, auto diallers, or emergency call buttons, we recommend that you speak to your medical alarm provider before switching over to the NBN and ensure your medical device will keep working,” Mrs de Winter said.

“For additional support, you can also register your medical alarm with the NBN online at www.nbn.com.au/medicalregister or by calling 1800 227 300.”

In response to questions about whether extra boxes would be required inside the home to be connected to the NBN, Mrs Lindsay said there are a number of different solutions depending on the location of a person’s property and the service NBN Co is able to provide.

“You may have FTTP (Fibre to the Premise), FTTN (Fibre to the Node), or HFC (Hybrid Fibre Coaxial), which will determine whether you have additional devices to be installed at your premise or not. Discuss with your service provider about what will be required to be installed in your home,” Mrs Lindsay said.

Mrs Lindsay said NBN Co understood many people were frustrated about being told one thing by NBN and another by their service providers in regards to solving their connection issues. She said there is currently an ACCC investigation ongoing and that NBN Co is confident there will be positive outcomes for all consumers following the investigation.

Mr Vasta asked those with further issues or questions to contact his office or visit the NBN Co website at www.nbnco.com.au.

Due to popular demand, Mr Vasta will be hosting another NBN information session at Mt Gravatt Showgrounds on Thursday, 13th July from 10am to 11am (RSVP to ross.vasta.mp@aph.gov.au or call 3893 3488).

Local residents and business owners had the opportunity to learn more about the National Broadband Network (NBN) rollout in Eight Mile Plains and Wishart, thanks to an NBN information session today hosted by Federal Member for Bonner, Ross Vasta.

NBN Co Queensland State Manager, Lisa Berrie, joined Mr Vasta to help answer questions and provide solutions to attendees’ various connection issues.

“I’m pleased to report that 21 per cent of the NBN rollout is complete in Bonner, with all premises to have access to NBN services by 2020,” Mr Vasta said.

“Over time the NBN will replace most of the existing networks as the deliverer of a new service network. At the end of 2020, there will be further plans for path upgrades and speed building to ensure the best service is continually on offer for all users.”

Mrs Berrie said NBN Co had been hearing from some people regarding a lack of speed on their connection.

“In this instance ‘bandwidth choking’ is occurring— service providers have not purchased enough capacity from NBN to supply certain speeds. The issue is that the network is being oversold and is therefore not providing the speeds that NBN Co has the capacity to provide to each household,” Mrs Berrie said.

“What we recommend when switching over to the NBN is to shop around for a suitable provider. Ask them how much bandwidth they’ve purchased from NBN Co, and if you’ll experience bandwidth congestion. What is the capacity of my modem and will it throttle the speeds coming into my home?”

Mrs Berrie said NBN Co understood many people were frustrated about being told one thing by NBN and another by their telco providers in regards to solving these issues. She said there is currently an ACCC investigation ongoing and that NBN Co is confident there will be positive outcomes for all consumers following the investigation.

In response to questions about whether extra boxes would be required inside the home to be connected to the NBN, Mrs Berrie said there are a number of different solutions depending on the location of a person’s property and the service NBN Co is able to provide.

“You may have FTTP (Fibre to the Premise), FTTN (Fibre to the Node), or HFC (Hybrid Fibre Coaxial), which will determine whether you have additional devices to be installed at your premise or not. All of this information is readily available at the NBN Co website,” Mrs Berrie said.

Mrs Berrie said it would be compulsory for every household in Australia to switch over to the NBN.

“You will have 18 months to do this from the installation date. This will give you plenty of time to shop around and look into the options and packages available to you. You will also be reminded plenty of times during this 18 month period. NBN sends out all forms of communications to each and every household as a matter of priority as the 18 month deadline draws to a close,” Mrs Berrie said.

Mr Vasta asked those with further issues or questions to contact his office or visit the NBN Co website at www.nbnco.com.au.

Due to popular demand, Mr Vasta will be hosting another NBN information session at Mt Gravatt Showgrounds on Thursday, 13th July from 10am to 11am (RSVP to ross.vasta.mp@aph.gov.au or call 3893 3488).

Thank you Madam/Deputy Speaker. Today I rise to update the house about a call out I put on Facebook recently asking constituents to submit their burning questions to me.

The post generated quite a bit of interest. Today I’m going to answer some of those questions however as I can only mention a few I’m going to focus on the questions related to the NBN roll out in Bonner asked by Petro from Wishart and Chris in the Bayside.

I thank Petro and Chris for their questions. As Telstra is now project managing the rollout, they’ve decided to focus on rolling out the Fibre to the Node (FTTN) technology before the Hybrid Fibre Coaxial (HFC) technology rollout.

In my electorate, Bonner is made up of 77% Hybrid Fibre Coaxial which means we are awaiting the next update.  NBN has recently taken down their old 3 year rollout plan which was released on October 2015. In the meantime there has been a move to provide more accurate and timely information about the NBN with a brand new website allowing you to ‘check your address’.

NBN has released the first phase of the ‘check your address’ web function that will provide a date range for when the NBN service will be available at an individual address. Keep in mind that some suburbs are stating generic rollout information on the NBN website, saying “it will be delivered by 2020.” These suburbs will be updated in the coming months.

Just like the questions I was asked, many others want to know ‘when will they get the NBN?’

This new ‘check your address’ tool gives individual households and businesses more specific information to answer that question. For ‘check your address’ go to nbnco.com.au

The NBN rollout is a priority for my constituents and I have met with the Communications Minister this week to remind him of the need for superfast broadband sooner for my local residents and business owners. I will continue to meet with the Minister for Communications and NBN on a regular basis and put forward my constituents concerns and keep pushing for the roll out in Bonner. I’m fighting for Bonner and this means securing the NBN rollout as soon as possible.

Thank you.

I’m pleased today to provide a positive update on the nbn rollout in Bonner. Under the Coalition’s revised rollout plan, thousands of people are being connected to the nbn each month. More people can access the nbn every month than Labor managed to connect the entire time they were in office!

The nbn has hit every rollout target the Coalition has set since coming to Government. This includes for Bonner.

Construction of the nbn network is now underway around the Eight Mile Plains and Capalaba exchanges. Right now, 1,100 premises in Eight Mile Plains are being equipped for fibre to the node connections. By Christmas it’s expected construction will begin for around 14,000 premises in the area.

Work is planned to progress south of the Eight Mile Plains site over the next few months. It is also expected to extend west of the Capalaba site, with nbn construction expected to begin in Chandler, Ransome and Gumdale before the end of the year.

There’s also good news for the Mt Gravatt region. Nbn network construction is planned to start in the Mt Gravatt area in the first half of 2017–mainly in areas of Upper Mt Gravatt, stretching toward Mackenzie. This is an area that, thanks to Labor’s mismanagement, has had to wait even longer for superfast broadband.

I’m thrilled for the locals in these areas who’ve been sharing with me for years their frustrations with slow, choppy internet. I’ve fought hard to bring the nbn to Bonner on their behalf and now it’s well on its way.

The vast majority of residents and businesses in Bonner will have access to the nbn in the next few years. Everyone in my electorate will have the nbn by 2020. This is a remarkable achievement and I thank my colleagues and nbn™ for working so hard to make this a reality.

Labor’s NBN policy will leave residents in Bonner waiting longer and paying more for broadband, Federal Member for Bonner, Ross Vasta said today.

“Under Labor’s NBN you’ll wait longer and pay more,” Mr Vasta said.

“Labor’s NBN policy is to slow down the rollout in Belmont, Hemmant, Lota, Lytton, Manly, Manly West, Murarrie, Tingalpa, Wynnum, Wynnum West and more because they will dig up everyone’s front garden and driveway – despite technologies being available that avoid this.”

“Labor’s NBN policy means these locations could be waiting until 2022 to connect to the NBN.”

“Under a Coalition Government they will have the NBN over the next two years,” Mr Vasta said.

“Monthly internet bills are also set to rise under Labor, because their policy costs $8 billion more than the Coalition’s.”

Under Labor’s last mismanaged rollout, just 61 premises in Bonner were able to connect to the NBN. 

Under the Turnbull Coalition Government, this has increased substantially to 379 premises able to connect in Bonner, with more than 59,500 premises to be connected under the Coalition’s accelerated three-year rollout of the NBN.

Minister for Communications Mitch Fifield said Labor had already tried and failed to deliver the NBN. 

“Under the Coalition, the NBN is hooking up more than 60,000 homes a month, compared to just 51,000 connections in six years under Labor.”

Labor’s last gold plated approach would have added up to $43 a month to internet bills,” Minister Fifield said.

Under the Turnbull Coalition Team, the nbn is rolling out better broadband across Australia in the fastest and most affordable way.

Under the Coalition, the NBN has met every roll out target; it is ahead of schedule and on-budget.

Today I rise to speak yet again on broadband internet in my electorate of Bonner. I’m extremely pleased to have much better news for my constituents following NBN’s release of its new three-year rollout plan.

After years of frustration under the slow and expensive joke that was Labor’s plan, today I’m proud to announce that over 59,500 homes and businesses in Bonner will soon have access to superfast broadband. That means within three years, 80 per cent of the homes and businesses in the Bonner community will be NBN ready.

Next year construction will begin at over 22,000 premises in Mount Gravatt, Mount Gravatt East, Upper Mount Gravatt, Holland Park, Holland Park West, Mansfield, Wishart and Macgregor. These suburbs will be connected to the NBN via HFC. The rest of my electorate will be connected either via HFC or fibre-to-the-node technology—a decade sooner than they would have under Labor’s plan.

Again I would like to thank the former Communications Minister, the Prime Minister, for his outstanding work reining in the costs of the NBN. Thanks to him Australians will receive fast internet years sooner. I would also like to thank the current Communications Minister for continuing this good work and ensuring every home and business in Australia will have access to superfast broadband by 2020.

I rise today to speak on one of the most important issues in my electorate of Bonner. This issue is a lack of fast and reliable internet broadband. I am here to update the House on broadband access in Bonner, and the progress of the NBN rollout in my electorate. I will also speak on the technology that will help bring high-speed, reliable broadband to my constituents sooner, at less cost.

I have spoken many times in this chamber on this pressing matter. It pains me to stand here today with many fresh stories from residents and businesses who are struggling to access the world-class broadband that is essential for so many things these days.

Just the other day I heard the story of a father of two who lives in Mansfield. He tells me since he moved there ten years ago, his internet service has gone from bad to worse. Incredibly slow download speeds and regular dropouts are the daily norm, he says. It’s caused untold frustration for the whole household. His wife needs it for work on her PhD and for the days she works from home. His two children need it for their high school work. Not to mention daily activities that need a stable internet connection, like paying bills online or accessing government services.

And that’s the thing with internet broadband. It’s not a luxury that can wait—it’s a must-have in today’s increasingly tech-driven world. The Coalition understands this. On the other hand, Labor overpromised and under-delivered, as though people could afford to just hold out for years on end.

Many suburbs including those in my electorate lagged behind as a result. Carindale, Wishart, Mansfield, Wynnum West, Manly West, Wakerley and Rochedale to name just a few.

I have contacted telecommunications representatives in my area more times than I would like, on behalf of my constituents who can’t even access basic ADSL services. The NBN was supposed to be the cure-all for this from the start. Instead Labor let down the people of Bonner spectacularly.
 
Madam/Deputy Speaker, the Coalition couldn’t let the NBN go on the way it was under Labor. It would’ve cost $73 billion, $29 billion more than claimed. It would’ve increased prices for consumers by up to 80 per cent. And we would have had to wait until 2024 for it to be finished. Almost a decade, when we’re already behind much of the world.
 
Now under the Coalition’s plan, the NBN will be completed faster using a multi-technology mix. I’m pleased to report that a large number of residents and businesses in Bonner will benefit from this revised rollout strategy. It matches the right technology to the right location, making use of existing networks where possible to deliver superfast broadband. Under this model, areas with poor broadband will receive upgrades several years sooner.
 
This is great news for my Bonner constituents. Especially considering around 77 per cent of premises in my electorate are already passed by the existing HFC network, which NBN Co will be utilising to deliver superfast broadband. This means a quicker and more efficient rollout of the NBN in Bonner.
 
Further to that, NBN Co has announced it will be among the first in the world to deploy next-generation HFC technology in 2017. Users will be able to access download speeds of 1 gigabit per second and upload speeds of 100 megabits per second, where offered by their retail service provider. This will be a huge step up.

Clearly, the Coalition has put the NBN back on the right track. Under our plan, all Australians will be receiving first-rate, high-speed, reliable broadband in less time at less cost to taxpayers. In particular, the Coalition has prioritised those who were underserved by the previous government. We recognise that residents and businesses cannot afford to wait for the NBN.

I would like to also thank my colleague Malcolm Turnbull for the excellent job he has done turning the NBN around. He took a project that was way off-track and off-budget and reshaped it to ensure more areas in need receive fast, affordable broadband. The NBN will now be completed in a much timelier and more cost-effective manner. My Bonner constituents will reap the benefits of the Minister’s good work.

I look forward to seeing those in my electorate get the world-class broadband they deserve. I will continue to work with NBN and telecoms representatives to ensure this is achieved in a fast and efficient manner.