ADSL Disconnections begin in Cherry Gardens
As long feared, commercial internet providers are beginning to disconnect the handful of customers that are still using their ADSL equipment in the Coromandel Valley exchange (behind Craigburn Primary School). Peter Charles who lives on Hicks Hill Rd received the disconnection notice (below) giving just 60 days to find another ISP provider. Even if he did find another service (and suffer the likely days of downtime during switchover), what confidence could he have that the next ISP won’t do the same?
PLEASE respond to this post if you have also received a similar notice. We need to find out how many ISP’s will be doing this. TPG owns Internode and Adam Internet.
Why are TPG doing this?
Simple - most of their customers on the Coro exchange have now migrated over to NBN Fibre to the Node (FTTN) - a technology that we up the hill in Cherry Gardens, Ironbank (and most of peri-rural Federal electorate of Mayo) are not deemed worthy enough to receive. We are offered substandard, very expensive NBN satellite.
Were we not promised that we could keep our ADSL? Yes! Email to myself and Don Watton from Rebekha Sharkie's office on 15 March 2017. :
"As you have identified the price difference in relation to data allowance is significant between satellite and other forms of NBN as well as copper ADSL services.
I have been advised that consumers in both satellite and fixed wireless areas will have the option to retain their legacy copper services. In comparison, in areas that have fixed
line services, the copper services will be switched off."
What can be done?
Call your local MPs Rebekha Sharkie @makemayomatter (federal) and Steve Murray @stevemurraydavenport (state) to make your voice heard.
You can also try to get a 4G service from Optus or Telstra - mine works wonderfully IF you can see a mobile phone tower. I'll write about this 4G option in a further post and Cherry Chatter article.
Please feel to call me at work to discuss.
Darren Kruse
Brumby Street, Cherry Gardens
8278 1779 (work)
Editor’s Note:
We have contacted both Steve Murray and Rebekha Sharkie’s office for comment but at time of printing have not yet received a response. We also have not heard whether any ISP’s have ceased servicing customers of the Scott Creek Exchange.