Regional NBN Appeal for Central Coast NSW, Australia

Dear Central Coast Citizen,

I'm writing to seek your support for a constructive submission to the Department of Communications and the NBN review processes. I hope you can add your name to our regional appeal.

State of Play

As you know the Central Coast has an advanced state to the NBN roll out and the previously published maps by the NBN Company indicated that 80% of the region's premises were on the schedule. Already many premises in Gosford, East Gosford, Pt Fredrick & Springfield have access to the NBN. Construction is in advanced stage at Berkley Vale and surrounding areas and take up rates are healthy.

The new government is conducting reviews of the whole NBN project as indicated before coming into government. This includes seeking feedback from consultants, accountants and a new board. Minister Turnbull has also reached out and asked for constructive feedback to the NBN review process.

It is now very important that the new government hear our collective regional feedback to the reviews.

History

The NBN telecommunications upgrade that the region achieved was on the basis of a broad community, business, Fed MPs & councils business case. This was presented to the then government and NBNCo in 2011. The bid was successful and represented the one of largest investment schedule in the region's history. A historic success, celebrated by all at the time.

The successful business case articulated the following points

1. CC's old and patchy telecommunications infrastructure needs replacing.

2. CC's 40,000 plus commuters. (with a view to more tele-work + small business growth)

3. CC's depressed economic position and potential for economic growth.

4. CC's expensive service delivery in health and education could be reduced by reliable BB.

The business case was constructive, well articulated and importantly from a broad united front. 

Constructive Action required again

It is now time to put a similar case to the new government. It is important to be constructive and united. Any division will risk the further divestment and ultimately poorer services for much of the region.

I have made myself available to talk to business and community groups to guide them in coordinating their constructive contributions to the review over the next couple of weeks. 

What you can do?

1. Support the appeal petition CLICK HERE: 

2. Stay constructive focussed on the issue in letters to media and others.

3. Ask your local industry & community groups to support the appeal.

4. Email & Social Message people in your friends and colleagues group this email of this link to the Appeal Petition: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?fromEmail=true&formkey=dF9aS3FyNjMtU2FaRXJOdFRyTDhtT0E6MA

5. Attend any meetings organised. I have been asked to speak at a meeting Nov 14, 6pm at CC Leagues Club in the Park View room, this is an open meeting.  I expect there may be a few other get togethers from other groups. I'm happy to do what I can to help.

Finally, thank you to all that have pragmatically stuck with and advanced our regional cause.

This infrastructure will make a huge difference to the profitability of businesses, the reduction of costs associated with service delivery for governments and importantly a renewed wave of optimism and innovation for young and old. 

Please feel free to forward this email. 

Dave Abrahams

Digital Economy Advocate

Heart felt regional issue - Questioning NBN investment - Worth considering

Dear fellow Central Coastian,

I'm writing to you about a incredibly important local issue. Asking you to wrestle with your hearts and minds for about a $440 million investment and carefully consider your belief in the Central Coast before you vote tomorrow.

By voting for a regional issue that will really make a difference to our lives, the local economy, our access to health care and education and reduce the region's reliance on commuting. 

Please feel free to forward this if you believe some body should know about this important Central Coast issue. FaceBook it etc.

I'm asking many of you to buck the current trend and vote for the unique regional issue. It's not about left of right, Lab, Lib, Green etc' it's about our region and very important regional infrastructure. It's really that simple.  

The NBN infrastructure enables local business to grow, local carers to monitor securely aged people in their home, local students to be involved with the best educators. It's about enabling working from home more often for our commuters. All of this is very well documented, industry designed and the investment schedule on the Central Coast is published. It's not theory. 

It's taken a great deal of work for over 10 years to get the investment here. I've been part of a real team of business and community leaders, councillors and of course the current Federal MPs to make it happen.

The NBN investment rollout is well underway on the Central Coast. Dozens of workers are building better, phone, mobile and internet services in our region right now. Already customers in Gosford, East Gosford & Point Fredrick report incredible reliability, speed and reduced telephone costs. 

Good if you're in; Gosford, East Gosford, Point Fredrick and Springfield you receive 100Mb speeds now and in December 1000Mb speeds.

Bad if you're in; Erina, Wyong, Woy Woy, Tuggerah, Kincumber, Foresters Beach, Avoca, Killcare, Narara, Lake Haven, Toukley etc etc, etc. 

You could receive a service offering just 2.5% to 10% of what will be in Gosford in December with the alternative plans. 

I'm not asking you to vote and reward the Labor party nationally per say as the Coast clearly won't effect the outcome of the national election this time. Though once in a generation people get the chance to help decide something that really makes a difference.

I am asking you to consider voting for local candidates that will actively defend our $440 million published local investment schedule. Not all Central Coastians know about this, they should.

Our Pro Central Coast investment defenders at present:

Deb O'neill & Kate Da Costa in Robertson.

Emma MacBride, Craig Thompson & Sue Wynn in Dobell

Jill Hall in Shortland

These good strong local candidates can defend published investments. Weak ones can or will not fight for the investment. The question is who will stand up to the de-investmnet gang and who will roll over. That's why whoever's in government we need strong regional advocates, people who support our regions investment.

NB: Sadly the Team Central Coast candidates Gosford Mayor Lawrie McKinna & Cricketer Nathan Braken are siding with the de-investment candidates, despite previous support for the published NBN the Mayor of Gosford is in effect voting down the region's investment.

It's regrettable this group has misunderstood the situation and is supporting the De-Investment of at least $220 million dollars. Ironically they were campaigning on a pro-investment ticket. The groups tactical & financial backer John Singleton boasted he'd "do no harm" to the region. Obs. 

To be honest I'm most disappointed that this telecommunications upgrade has become a political football. It should be a united national priority. Countries around the world are clambering for this infrastructure. 

Please consider voting for this unique Central Coast issue - and please pass this on to anyone who should know. 

Dave Abrahams

Local Small Business owner and regional investment campaigner.

web: www.davidab.info

Twitter: @digitdave

NB: I am not a Labor party member, donor or indeed a member of any party. I don't have millions of dollars to throw at posters and media adds. I respond to the power of positive ideas and sound information as I think most people do. Good voting. 

Click here for fuller report to Central Coast Councillors

NBN v 2.0 : A new railway gauge disaster

Skimping and changing track halfway through an infrastructure build is fought with disaster. Any student of engineering history will know the debacle of railway gauges in Australia. Could the same processes be at work with the proposed changing of the NBN rollout schedule.

Despite the constant discussions about technology the NBN is happening right now, it's happening! In 60+ regions across the country there are guys and girls everywhere rolling out fibre. The work's been done on design, the contracts have been signed, the workers are out in the field.

Should a new government decide to change the current model by compromising the current network design it will inevitably create network differentials. Some areas will fly with fibre to the premise and others will be compromised with whatever cheap / lesser technology is deemed fit.

Historical experience will tell us it will be the outer metro, rural and regional areas that are not currently under construction that will get the compromised service. Which ever way you look at it this is how the "get it faster for less money" policy spiel from Turnbull et.al will pan out.

So the new reality could be; areas with and without the gigabit speeds that the decades ahead will demand. Sure it's hard to think how we could use that throughput now, but one thing is certain, bandwidth demands will increase massively each year, as they have done historically.

A similar discussion happened in the 1870's with the roll out of the railway lines in the colonies of Australia. Almost every state ran their own track gauge widths, as they all never thought the railways would become a national network. 
In Australian Economics and Trade 101, this was THE example of infrastructure short sightedness. So much so, that the history lesson is taught in economic schools around the world. It was even a sticking point to the federation of Australia itself. Dumb with a ten foot high D . Differentiated rail gauges have cost the nation billions in replacement infrastructure and lost commercial opportunities.

So here we are with a similar logic applied by the grandsons of those railway gauge accountants in the alternative government. "Save money now" (with new cheaper differentiated technology deliveries) I hear them cry.

Should this come to pass (I'm not sure Mr Turnbull is so silly), historians would need to write a new chapter in Australia's infrastructure stuff ups.