The Federal Government and NBNCo have come under fire from Federal Member for Macquarie, Susan Templeman, after it was revealed 10,000 in-home NBN boxes across the area have been replaced because they were faulty.

Ms Templeman alerted the government and NBNCo to the fault last year, after residents in Fibre To The Curb (FTTC) areas of the Blue Mountains and Hawkesbury reported the grey NCD boxes located in people’s homes had been “blowing up” during lightning storms, in some cases leaving black marks on benches and blackened wires in their wake.

“But the Federal Government and NBNCo have done everything to minimise the problems people are experiencing, including long delays for replacement where they have no internet, and said not to worry if their faulty NCD boxes spark or go black during a storm,” Ms Templeman said.

“That is very little comfort to people who watch the sparks flying out, or who come home to find their countertop has been left blackened.

“I’ve had hundreds of residents of the Blue Mountains and Hawkesbury say they have been affected by this issue, particularly after the storms over summer. I know of residents who are on their eighth box, and who have lost work time and missed deadlines waiting for each to be replaced.

“NBNCo admitted to my office this week that 10,000 NCD boxes have had to be replaced, which shows the real scale of this problem despite their attempts to play down the significance of the failure when I first alerted them to it last year.

“Federal Government inaction on this issue has been just as significant. I wrote to Communications Minister Paul Fletcher twice, in February and March of this year, and emailed again last week.

“I only received a reply on Monday afternoon; coincidentally, the same day a journalist was compiling a story on the issue.

“People have been unable to work and study, they’ve been worried about elderly residents not being able to call in an emergency, and this has gone on through torrential rains and floods.

“The moment storm season began, it’s been an unreliable, flawed network, that has not only led to people being without the internet for days and weeks, but also created enormous uncertainty and anxiety.

“I remain sceptical about the advice from NBNCo that people should be relaxed and comfortable when sparks or soot come out of the boxes, leaving marks on kitchen counters.

“If spark and soot are “design features” there should have been clear and transparent communication around them from the start.

“What is the plan to replace all the boxes with more robust ones? And exactly how much has this replacement exercise already cost?

“This