Labor has called for different technology to be used in the National Broadband Network to improve the state’s poor digital literacy skills.
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Stephen Jones, Labor’s spokesman for regional communications, was in Launceston on Tuesday for a community forum about the NBN where he spoke with residents about the state of the infrastructure.
Mr Jones said it was vital consumers were protected when they had difficulties with the NBN.
He questioned: “How can we improve the technology but also improve the protections for customers to ensure they aren’t getting ripped off, that they’re getting the things that they paid for”?
“And when things go bad that there is the right sort of dispute resolution process so they aren’t playing the NBN ping pong [between service providers and the NBN Co].”
WIth Tasmania facing a widening gap with the worst digital literacy scores in the nation, Mr Jones called for better infrastructure to improve the standing.
“Malcolm Turnbull needs to send a clear direction to the NBN that we are no longer going to be rolling out fibre to the node and copper to the household,” he said.
“Fibre-to-the-kerb is just as cost-effective, that should be the default setting.”
He also called for a regulator to ensure phone companies “were not selling packages they could not deliver”.
“I have great confidence the people of Tasmania have got the skills and ability to use the technology if they can just get it into their homes and their businesses,” he said.
Prior to the NBN forum Mr Jones also joined Bass MHA Ross Hart to speak with councils about their infrastructure priorities for the future.
Mr Hart said the councils in Northern Tasmania had an interest in securing funding for roads and sub-regional sports facilities such as a drainage project at Prospect Park.
“West Tamar Council has also spoken about the importance of the connectivity roads funding to provide clear traffic flow into the CBD of Launceston,” Mr Hart added.