PROTEST signs have been going up at the gateway to Birnamdale Estate in the quiet streets of Mundoolun after residents got so frustrated with their internet provider that they felt there was nothing left to do but make a stand.
According to spokesperson Di McMath, who has lived at the estate for seven years, the internet service in the vicinity has never been any good.
“We have consistently had intermittent problems with our internet,” she told the Times.
“The majority of the time our speed tests are less than 1mbps. I have never had a speed test reach over 1.3mpbs. It’s not good enough!
“One day recently, it took me longer to download my emails than it did to paint the sign that I’ve put in front of my house!”
Apart from not being able to stream movies, the lack of reliable internet has become problematic for several residents running home-based businesses, and schoolchildren who rely on the internet to complete assignments, Ms McMath said.
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Complaints
Some residents aren’t even able to get the internet or a phone line because they’ve been told there were no ports available, Ms McMath said.
“Many residents have complained to Telstra or their providers on many occasions over the years.
“One of my neighbours rings up and complains every month when she gets her bill.”
Ms McMath last contacted Telstra approximately a fortnight ago.
“To be honest it’s always such a frustrating call because it’s never shorter than an hour on the phone and never resolves the internet issues,” she said.
Petition
According to Ms McMath, residents decided to start a petition which attracted almost 50 signatures.
“Every resident that we speak to seems to be just as frustrated with our lack of internet service, and that we are paying for a service that we are barely getting,” she said.
“We did this with the intention of then having a meeting with our federal member of parliament Scott Buchholz.”
According to Ms McMath, she went to Mr Buchholz’s electorate office in April, 2017 to organise a meeting with him. A constituent officer subsequently contacted Telstra and obtained some information.
“We are still waiting for a meeting to discuss our issues and present the petition,” she said.
“We were fed up and thought more needed to be done to let his office and Telstra know that the residents of Birnamdale Estate are not happy.”
Mr Buchholz told the Times he received the residents’ petition on July 21.
“The details and individual examples of problems with internet service have been logged by my office and sent to Telstra for their assistance. Early assessment indicates the 26 households are with multiple service providers,” he said.
“Following this assessment and consultation with Telstra, I would be happy to meet with a group of these residents. I understand and share the concerns of these residents and as always, I will continue to advocate on behalf of constituents experiencing these issues.
“I understand that a fixed wireless service has a planned availability date of January to July in 2019 for residents in the Mundoolum area.
“In the meantime, I ask that residents be patient as the NBN rolls out across our electorate.”
Telstra response
Telstra area general manager Darren Clark said that providing a good customer experience is a key driver in the company’s investment decisions and Telstra continues to look at expanding coverage and improving capacity on a case-by-case basis.
“We have upgraded the area’s local infrastructure in the past twelve months and we continually assess demand to help determine where further upgrades need to occur,” he told the Times.
“Mundoolun is also serviced by our state-of-the-art 4GX wireless broadband service and we offer high speed wireless alternatives for customers who cannot currently access ADSL.”
