The latest post from NBN Co — the zany company tasked with rolling out our nation’s new National Broadband Network — is a little lighter in tone than usual, although it does still manage to point the finger at something other than itself.
Birds!
NBN Co has run into the unique problem of having its infrastructure damaged by pesky Australian cockatoos, particularly in regional districts of our nation. According to the post, the company has already spent $80,000 repairing the damages wrought by these mischief-makers.
As cockatoos require something tough to keep their ever-growing beaks in check, they’ve taken to chewing on cabling infrastructure — an issue that already affects wires across Australia.
Furthermore, the birds aren’t targeting active cables (the ones that use a protective plastic coating) but are instead after the spare cables put in place with the intention of future-proofing. Because of this, the only way the company is able to tell when a cable is damaged is when a technician is physically on-site and witnesses the damage.
Thankfully, NBN Co has devised a solution, which involves encasing the exposed cabling in a small plastic canister, costing a grand-total of $14 per unit and potentially saving upwards of $10,000 per damaged cable.
