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Joyce slammed for suggesting slower internet speeds sufficient for remote Australia

THE Deputy PM has been heavily criticised for his comments on the NBN, suggesting not all Australians need access to the same high speeds.

Nick Whigham and wires
2 min read
June 7, 2016 - 11:09AM
AAP
"Do it once, do it right, do it with fibre" Tony Windsor

DEPUTY Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has come under fire for suggesting slower internet speeds are good enough for regional Australia.

Mr Joyce conceded those in remote areas wouldn’t get the best internet service when asked about the National Broadband Network on the ABC’s Q&A on Monday, in a special episode live from his New England electorate.

Audience member Elizabeth Wakeford challenged the Deputy PM on the issue as she described the difficulties faced by those living in remote areas in Australia.

“We don’t get TV reception, we don’t have mobile reception, we have a damaged fixed line that we can’t use,” she said.

Mr Joyce said data about customers connecting to the NBN showed a majority were opting for the lower bandwidth services on offer.

“The best way to try and test what the public wants is to see what they buy,” he said. “Overwhelming it’s the 25 mega bit service that’s got 52 per cent of the sales of where the NBN is available.”

However Ms Wakeford objected to Mr Joyce’s comment that download speeds of 25mbps were good enough and implored him to look further into the future and think about the internet needs of her children.

“It’s a bit of a slip to say that well 25 mbps is fine for us,” she said.

Many of the most rural areas of the country will be provided with NBN via satellite which offers 25mbps downloading speeds and five mbps uploading speeds.

“Now I know that’s not the best service, I understand that. And that’s why it’s for the remotest areas,” Mr Joyce said to rumblings from the audience.

When Mr Joyce moved on to talk about the bandwidth needs required to support Netflix, he was interrupted by a disgruntled audience member calling out.

National Farmers’ Federation vice-president Fiona Simson also objected to Mr Joyce’s comment.

“Just because you are remote, Barnaby, you still need more than 25mbps,” she said.

Meanwhile, the man vying for Mr Joyce’s seat, independent candidate Tony Windsor, received a rousing applause when he intervened, calling for Labor’s original plan of a fibre to the premises NBN.

“Do it once, do it right, and do it with fibre,” he said as the audience broke out in rapturous applause. “This is the infrastructure of this century. It delivers to our kids, it delivers in terms of our health, it delivers in terms of education and business.”

Mr Joyce said Labor’s model would cost $30 billion more and take longer to roll out.

“It never has been about cost. It has always been about politics,” Mr Windsor said.

“Because one side decided to go for the top standard, the other side had to oppose it — that’s one of the great tragedies of this.”

As usual, the debate was followed closely by those on social media, many of whom were critical for what they saw as Mr Joyce’s short-sightedness on the issue.

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/nbn/joyce-slammed-for-suggesting-slower-internet-speeds-sufficient-for-remote-australia/news-story/a5317afee163769544eb30d0205bac68