nor can I, although they will draw significant compensation for their connections and ‘insights’.
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I considered creating a new thread for this, but it sits nicely under the title of this current thread:
“Nice little network you have here, shame if it got faulty or somethin’”.
One has to ask what a government-owned entity is doing trying to blackmail its way out of basic obligations set by another government entity. Oh wait, I forgot that this is becoming par for the course.
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Neither could I, which was my intention and cause for alarm. Perhaps I could have left a less open comment.
What odds this will change and the true meaning of ‘accountability’ returned to the Macquarie Dictionary?
I don’t get to talk to all of the 22 neighbours every day or week, or even monthly. I do often enough as needed, and some in town. They are all in LNP heartland. The NBN is far from the top of their concerns, while many have little interest or understanding of what it is. There is little informed news to be had on all things NBN, except what leaks out through the ABC, probably after we have all gone to bed or during the latest series of Australia’s Got Talent or the Footy Show etc.
Elsewhere,
It appears there are 8,000 more problems to add to the woes of the NBN Co. And counting.
It will be interesting to see how they react when some around here fail the NBN FW signal tests next year. I hear the NBN satellite service is all they might need?
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Yes, yes. Nobody will ever need more than 25Mb/s (and whatever the data caps are).
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Yes, 
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Next stage of connection/removal of old infrastructure.
I wrote to NBNCo:
I have been connected to the NBN for my HFC & telphony for some time now and I have an enquiry about all the redundant cabling in the street and to my home. From the NBNCO website: “The disconnection process for the old phone and internet network in this area is scheduled to begin on Jun 2020”. Does this only pertain to “logical disconnection” (ie switched off via computer program) or is NBNCO going to PHYSICALLY remove the OPTUS & TELSTRA HFC & telephony cables on the poles AND to the individual premises? I (along with everyone else on the street) have two cables (one OPTUS/TELSTRA inactive + 1 NBN active) to my home from a pole, while the two OPTUS & TELSTRA aerial HFC & telephony cables supplying these home connections are inactive. Along the street some of these aerial cables are coming away from the poles and need some attention. I’d appreciate some clarification by a clear intention by NBNCO of what is PLANNED (and by whom) to PHYSICALLY happen wrt ALL this redundant cabling. Thanks in advance.
NBNCO responded:
The ex-Telstra cables will be removed at a future date and time once the roll out is complete, you need to engage Optus regarding their infrastructure.
I responded to the response again:
I think you’re only half right with the response.
I don’t have to engage Optus but NBNCO does need to show ownership and accountability for these ex-Optus HFC cables.
Has NBNCO “forgotten” that it bought Optus’ HFC Cable infrastructure in 2011 for $800m in order to “fast track” its HFC-based rollout? Despite deciding not to then use it for its own HFC rollout, surely NBNCO still own it. It’s NO LONGER Optus’ cable but NBNCO’s cable.
This is the very cable and service from Optus that I migrated my HFC & Telephony services from earlier this year (2019) onto NBNCO’s newly laid subterranean version of the HFC Cable & Telephony services.
I can’t see how my asking Optus to remove any infrastructure which NBNCO purchased from them in 2011 (and now owns) will work, other than NOT. I am pretty sure Optus will point me straight back to NBNCO and then another round of finger-pointing accountability avoidance will start all over again.
This previously Optus-owned (now NBNCO-owned) redundant infrastructure will/has become orphaned and will cause NBNCO no end of continuing complaints and legal/commercial jeopardy.
These NBNCO owned ex-Optus cables need to be removed/have removed by NBNCO as well.
Please escalate this response (to your reply below) up your management chain to seek further and better-considered legal advice on ownership, responsibility & accountability for these aerial redundant ex-Optus HFC cables.
Failing a satisfactory relevant reply, then a complaint to the TIO, Federal Member & the Press is my next available step.
I again await a definitive response from said escalation.
So much for NBNCO showing ANY Service Accountability when it denies ownership of its own infrastructure. I’m still yet to hear from NBNCO after any escalation.
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Great questions and a dogged approach. 
All our local infrastructure is buried.
Perhaps for the NBN Co leaving all as is will cost less than removal in the near term.
Perhaps in the fullness of time some of the old cable may fall down and be a hazard or get in the way of some other need.
Notes:
The internal NBN Co accountants book work should have a line entry for these soon to be redundant assets.
Against the line/s a written down value will appear as it is an asset subject to tax depreciation. And once decommissioned it can potentially be written down to nil value. Being good accountants they will then assign a provisional cost (liability) based on the removal and rehabilitation costs.
Something any future owner would be asking about during ‘due diligence’.
Of course being a private company the NBN Co does not need to reveal any of this to the Australian tax payer or voters.
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I’m concerned that I can have the connecting line to my home removed by my electician, but the Telstra & Optus cables hanging along the street will stay there until (as you say) they start falling down (which they are already doing) and causing a hazard.
My concern is that NBNCO would come after me if I were to just remove my connecting cable to their now-defunct Optus HFC street cable. Perhaps I should wish (pray?) for a stronger storm activity to bring down even more of these orphaned cables, forcing NBNCO to act.
A possibility as I think it is their asset all the way up until the termination point at your property. Which may be an external connection, or internal where the old cable modem resided. But would they ever know?
Of course the bit reaching your property might become detached from the house during a storm, hit by a falling branch etc. It would remain for the NBN Co to remove the hazard once advised. How you might best temporarily coil up the loose cable so others don’t trip on it, or prevent it being caught in the mower etc might depend on your yard layout.
Our 240v incoming electricity cable slipped its anchor a few months back in a strong storm. It had been replaced approx 12 months prior with a new cable. Nothing is forever.
Why burden the NBN Co or the business customer in this example with the cost?
It’s not unique with the current Federal Govt program direct funding upgrades to the NBN to improve outcomes for select customers.
Some tens of millions has gone to provide fibre direct to customers in regional areas to replace NBN Satellite services.
Other fibre upgrade projects funded in the $117m first round of the program listed cover hundreds of premises each that are subsequently able to connect to the NBN via a full-fibre connection.
Round one of the regional connectivity program funded thousands of premises in regional parts of Australia to convert from connecting to the NBN via satellite to a full fibre connection at a cost of close to $40m for taxpayers, according to calculations made by Guardian Australia.
There are approx 110,803 premises connected to Satellite as of last week. Divide that by a few thousand and multiply by $40m for a rough estimate of how far another $2B might go towards …?
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