According to a new plan by independent MP Helen Haines, TELCOS would be forced to supply regional areas with the same fast, high-quality internet that urban areas get, or risk financial penalties. If passed, the bill will establish a new national standard for the National Broadband Network and other telecommunications providers, requiring a minimum download speed of 25 megabits per second at all times of the day. The government currently only mandates the NBN to provide download speeds of 25 megabits per second once every day. "On a daily basis! It might be 2 a.m., 2 p.m., 5 a.m., 5 a.m., 5 a.m., 5 a.m "Dr. Haines explained.

"That's the standard the government has set for the NBN, and that's not good enough for me, and it certainly isn't good enough for my constituents." All problem rectifications requiring a technician in rural regions would have to wait a maximum of one day, while all new connections in rural areas would have to wait a maximum of five days, according to the law. According to Indi's independent MP, the government has permitted telcos to treat regional communities as second-class people. "The government wants to enforce a one-day wait time in cities for network problems to be fixed, but up to three days in the countryside and rural places," Dr. Haines explained.

"Right now, the government intends to allow the NBN to take up to 19 business days - or a full calendar month - to connect certain new homes or small businesses in the regions, even if they are close to a fixed line facility." It's evident that the government is backing away from keeping telcos accountable in the areas. Across addition, the bill proposes a number of new criteria for improving internet speed, problem rectification, and connection times in urban, regional, and distant Australia.

Dr. Haines also introduced a bill to reduce the cost of household batteries. Home batteries would be eligible to earn renewable energy certificates, which they could sell to electricity retailers to defray the cost of installing new batteries under the plan. The legislation, according to Dr. Haines, will reduce the cost of household batteries by up to $3000 and treble the quantity of batteries in Australian homes in three years.

Article by: Hari Yellina (Orchard Tech)