MOUNT RIVERVIEW FIRST TO CONNECT TO NEW NBN – BUT
SOME NOT SO LUCKY
Mount Riverview has become the first area in the Blue Mountains to be connected with the new Fibre
to the Curb NBN technology, but some residents will have a longer wait than others.
Member for Macquarie, Susan Templeman, said that despite people being able to connect since
December, there is frustration among some residents who have another five months wait for
connection.
“This should have been a good news story,” Ms Templeman said. “Mount Riverview is the first village
in the Mountains to get the new Fibre the Curb technology, not Fibre to the Node, after so many
years of delay.
“Instead, my office has heard from people who are dismayed to find out their next door neighbours’
NBN was up and running, while they are part of a patch of unlucky residents where more work is
required before they can be connected.
“Earlier this month they were told they could wait up to July 2020, but NBNco is now expecting
connections for those residents by June 2019.
Mt Riverview resident, Varenya Mohan-Ram and his family are one of the unlucky properties to be
told they have to wait.
“If we had a functioning internet, the delay might be an inconvenience; however the internet in our
home is terrible as is the phone reception.
“These days our children require the internet to get their school work done. I can rarely work from
home because of internet speed - when it works.
“We were promised the NBN in October 2018, Dec 2018 and recently we were told our home would have
to wait until July 2020. That has now been revised to later this year.
“How in a country in Australia and a wealthy state like NSW can this be tolerated? Without a
functioning internet connection, we are all left behind – small business, families, our kids
studying,” Mr Mohan Ram said.
Ms Templeman said she had raised the issue with NBNco as a matter of urgency and would be referring
all individual cases for review.
“I urge everyone in Mount Riverview to check their address on the NBN rollout map
(https://www.nbnco.com.au/residential/learn/rollout-ma), and to contact my office i they can’t
connect via email [email protected] or by calling: 4573 8222 “
“It is very concerning that the first area to roll out the new technology is already experiencing
problems.
“It’s also a problem that people aren’t being told why their home needs more work, when someone
next door is able to connect with ease.
Ms Templeman said the NBN Fibre to the Curb technology was a relatively new technology providing
superior speeds to Fibre to the Node, which the Abbot/Turnbull/Morrison Liberal Government rolled
out in the Upper Mountains.
“After all the problems that arose from the copper based fibre to the node, the Government was
shamed into moving to the new Fibre to the Curb technology, but it isn’t without problems either.
“It doesn’t bode well for the rest of the lower Mountains, due to be connected over the next few
months,” she said.
Ms Templeman also urged residents in the mid to upper mountains who are experiencing slow
connection speeds with their Fibre to the Node connections, to contact their retail service
provider (RSP) as they may be eligible for a refund.
The ACCC advises Telstra, Optus, TPG, iiNet, Internode, Dodo, iPrimus and Commander have each
admitted that they likely made false or
admitted that they likely made false or
