The blame game continues: ISPs lash out at NBN boss for “land grab” comments

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By Sharmishta Sarkar
published

Government steps in to soothe bruised egos

Following the publication of NBN Co CEO Bill Morrow’s position paper in which he blamed the Australian internet service providers for a price war and customer dissatisfaction, the resellers have turned the tables and are now pointing the finger at NBN Co.

The “land grab” mentality comments from Morrow had Damian Kay, Inabox’s top man, taking to LinkedIn to post his responding rant. "Enough Bill. This blame game is not helping the consumer. The model is flawed and everyone but you seems to get it. With no direct access to NBN for most RSPs due to 121 POIs, we couldn't offer a guaranteed throughput service for a greater price as we can't control the end to end experience. We are forced to go through 'The Big 4'. So stop the rhetoric and think about this holistically," he wrote.

MyRepublic’s managing director Nicholas Demos agreed with Kay and added, “The problem is the pricing model is not fit for purpose. The NBN is meant to provide a level playing field so that RSPs can deliver better speeds and service to the Australian consumer.” 

Everybody, calm down!

With the blame game heating up, the Federal Government has decided to step in to control the issue, with the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) saying it will use “its formal powers under the Telecommunications Act to collect information from businesses across the NBN supply chain."

After a discussion between ACMA and and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), it has been decided that if things get out of hand, ACMA will force 21 Australian ISPs to submit data on how they troubleshoot when faced with issues, “such as fault handling, connection timeframes, appointment keeping, telephone number porting, and more”.

Communications Minister Mitch Fifield said, “This information will be used to identify where customer issues most commonly arise and how those issues can be either avoided or resolved more quickly.”

Sharmishta Sarkar
Sharmishta Sarkar
Managing Editor (APAC)

Sharmishta is TechRadar's APAC Managing Editor and loves all things photography, something she discovered while chasing monkeys in the wilds of India (she studied to be a primatologist but has since left monkey business behind). While she's happiest with a camera in her hand, she's also an avid reader and has become a passionate proponent of ereaders, having appeared on Singaporean radio to talk about the convenience of these underrated devices. When she's not testing camera kits or the latest in e-paper tablets, she's discovering the joys and foibles of smart home gizmos. She's also the Australian Managing Editor of Digital Camera World and, if that wasn't enough, she contributes to T3 and Tom's Guide, while also working on two of Future's photography print magazines Down Under.