NBN Co floats its own 'Netflix tax'

Digital Rights
21

Meanwhile, over in Canberra!

I’ve posted a link to the Govt report released in Dec last year.

“2018 Regional Telecommunications Review - Getting it right out there”

https://www.communications.gov.au/file/47556/download?token=rlYu1naj

One quick take from the review is that it does not address a need for NBN Satellite and Fixed Wireless to deliver streaming entertainment content. The review does however make several points concerning the growth of internet data consumption and take up of the NBN. The NBN Co advised in regional areas it is much greater than the NBN planned for.

The Review prioritised assessing agriculture/business, education and health/services delivery needs.

Where does this lead? Perhaps the NBN was never intended to deliver streaming media for entertainment.

While the review avoids directly saying so! One potential solution is finding ways to limit the use of the internet in regional Australia to the core needs of the community. EG ordering spare parts for the John Deere and checking the weather, helping with education (NAPLAN testing), and community services (checking the next Centrelink payment). Entertainment might be best left to rolling in the dust of the dry dam, no chance of drowning, or doing doughnuts on the clay pan? (a little tongue in cheek, but great fun sometimes)

The proposal from the NBN Co to manage streaming comes as no surprise when Satellite and Fixed Wireless is considered. Satellite users already have service limitations that preclude steaming being a practical service. A block on or controlling streaming content over the NBN seems like one way to improve delivery of the core internet service needs of regional Australia?

It would likely get substantial support from those who until the arrival of Satellite or FW services had little or no internet connectivity.

And for good measure the ABC has this to say this morning.

P.S. (edit added)
One statement in the report appears to understate the extent of the NBN Satellite and FW coverage.
About 7 per cent of all NBN customers were always going to be connected to the NBN via fixed wireless or satellite, with fixed wireless servicing 75 per cent of that 7 per cent.

Per the NBN’s own roll out report the number of premsises in the Satellite and FW footprint total approximately 1.1 million. (closer to 10% of all premises with 450k in the Satellite area and 700k in FW).

3 Likes
22

I think you’ll find plenty of satellite users who are steaming, Mark :wink:

2 Likes
23

Honest question, are you referring to NBN satellite services or the traditional satellite broadcast services (eg Foxtel, etc)? They are not one and the same ‘animal’ from the protocols to functionality to data limits.

3 Likes
24

None of the people I know who rely on satellite or fixed wireless stream video. For a start, speeds are rarely consistently adequate (random buffering is very annoying). The big blocker is data limits. Affordable plans simply don’t offer enough data for much streaming at times when most people would want to stream. Those who do watch from online sources download in off-peak. They generally have far more data available and speed doesn’t matter. Downloading is technically illegal, I believe, but it’s not as if they’re selling the files or anything of the sort (and the files are too big to store for long).

4 Likes
25

NBN satellite.

I would like to work from home (future home in the country) but would need a reliable and reasonably fast connection. The feedback on Whirlpool forums from NBN satellite users is pretty lukewarm, on the whole. We’re going to try Telstra’s Nighthawk M2 4G hotspot… fingers crossed.

(My post was just a weak play on words on Mark’s typo, though.)

Stuart

2 Likes
26

@slb You are welcome. The iPad has a mind of it’s own occasionally with autocorrect trying to read my mis-struck keys. It always seems to know best! That one slipped past me. Not the first time.

Happy to share the humour and leave the typo as the subsequent observations make the intent very clear.

Noticed that the uptake on the satellite NBN is only 20% of all serviceable premises.

P.S.
I use a Telstra 4GX Advanced 3, (Netgear Product) in various different locations. While not a recommendation it’s worth having an external aerial connection (two ports) if you are not well located relative to the local towers. Ultimately I’ve found speed can be great in the larger cities. Away from these speeds can be highly variable, and symptomatic of constraints on the backhaul capacity of the tower you have connected to. Many rural towers rely on microwave links and hence have the same issues as the NBN Fixed Wireless service.

2 Likes
27

Must have been a longer night than I remember., or my eyes are worse than I thought. Well done. Very well done!

No way. Very purposeful, right?

2 Likes
28

Always, except when I’m needing to lean the other way.

2 Likes
29

I have fixed wireless and watch catch up TV and Netflix. Most times without a problem.

3 Likes
30

Take a look at the BIRRR Facebook group. They’re a good source of information and can conduct a desk-audit of any property to see what your options might be.

2 Likes
31

A Yagi type antenna for the choice of those antennas if in a fixed location pointing at the Tower that provides the signal, can boost performance quite well if there is clear line of sight (gains of at least 12 dBi if a good one is chosen). I assume that is the type you would probably be using now anyway, but I thought to add the type just in case others might be looking at antenna choices.

For some examples of them for any who are looking see:

https://rfshop.com.au/product/evercom-high-gain-4g-lte-yagi-antenna/

https://www.comnet.com.au/Antennas/Telstra-3G-4G/Yagi-Directional

1 Like
32

Take a look at the BIRRR Facebook group.

Thanks @Drop_Bear, I scanned the recent posts and it looks like a good group. Unfortunately searching for Nighthawk, hotspot and even Telstra returned 0 hits so perhaps search is disabled if you’re not logged in (I’m not on FB).

(My wife is on FB but she is currently down south at our future home with no internet and dodgy 4G :disappointed:)

Our neighbours mostly have NBN FW, but someone has installed a large forested hill between our house and the transmitter so we don’t quite have line of sight. The Nighthawk M2 sounds like a good option although it means reentering the Telstra nightmare after ten years of being happily Telstra-free.

3 Likes
33

Now I remember why I hate Telstra so much. The inefficiency of a government monopoly blended with the arrogance of a commercial monopoly.

Six days, five phone calls, one long, aimless chat session, several off-kilter auto-emails and two visits to the Telstra store, all so I can persuade them to sell me a $400 hotspot and a data plan. Now I only need wait 24-48 hours to find out if I succeeded.

2 Likes
34

BIRRR has a web site:

You might find that a non-standard NBN fixed wireless installation is an option. I’d suggest a Desk Check (you’ll need to join their Facebook group):

image
image959×960 293 KB

3 Likes
35

They’re missing a letter in that acronym. Shouldn’t it be BIRRRS, to include 'Straya?

36

BIRRRS make the horse buck if one gets under the saddle.

1 Like
37

The Liberal Party said they would build the NBN better ( Higher speeds ), earlier and cheaper they have failed on all three. The NBN is now claiming streaming services are causing issues and acting like no one could have foreseen this. You do pay more the faster and the larger the package you get the more you pay.

I do not believe a word of it they just want raise prices and are using the media to fuel it with half truths. Let your local member know that this is not acceptable,

2 Likes
38

Perhaps we also need to also acknowledge the other ‘elephant in the room’. The RBS or Regional Broadband Scheme.

It might also be about to add a further $7.10 per month per connection to the cost of internet, subject to legislative approval?

The great mystery here is whether the $7.10 has already been built into the NBN costings. That was the claim of the Government when the legislation was first raised.

It appears to be smoke and mirrors with the politics. The NBN Co’s Financial reports, Annual reports and Corporate Plan do not contain any accounting of that amount as far as I have been able to determine. Happy to be shown where it has been allowed for or set aside. :wink:

P.S.

It is known more officially as the regional broadband scheme or RBS.

“Once the NBN rollout is complete it is expected that NBN Co will have around 95 percent of the fixed line market, which means it will continue funding the bulk of the cost for providing broadband to regional Australia,” Fletcher said.

“Customers on NBN Co’s networks will not experience price rises as the charge is already embedded in NBN Co’s pricing.

The first presentation of the legislation by Minister for Urban Infrastructure Paul Fletcher was as one half of a pair of telecommunications bills in July 2017. It was not at the hands of the then Minister for Communications Mitch Fifield. The legislation has not been defeated, it has simply lapsed. Although the rate of the tax $7.10 was reduced from $10pm and had secured ‘in principle’ support from Labour prior to the recent election.

1 Like
39
2 Likes
40

It seems they knew even earlier:

2 Likes