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April 10th, 2013 
Malcolm Turnbull and Tony Abbott insist their broadband plan is cheaper than Labor’s and they deny claims their system will be slower and cost regional users more. Picture: Croucher James
Source: News Limited
OPPOSITION communications spokesman Malcolm Turnbull has denied the coalition’s broadband plan would see regional users pay “materially” more than those in the city.
The coalition has promised it will deliver high-speed broadband earlier and cheaper than under federal Labor’s NBN.
However, its broadband plan has been dubbed a “lemon” and “fraudband” by some experts and by Finance Minister Penny Wong, because it will only provide speeds of 25 megabits a second (Mbps) compared to Labor’s 100Mbps.
The opposition plan has raised concerns regional users will be forced to pay more for access to high-speed broadband, after the coalition proposed a cap on prices rather than the uniform national price in Labor’s NBN.
Mr Turnbull said suggestions those in the bush would pay more were “absolutely untrue”, and the price cap would be introduced to add competition to the broadband market.
“I think it is very unlikely that anyone in the bush will be paying more or materially more than anyone else,” he told Sky News today.
The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) would set the national price cap and “no wholesale provider, including the NBN Co, will be able to go above that”.
“So people in the bush will know that under us they will pay less for their broadband, they’ll get the upgrade sooner, and the cap will be set by the ACCC,” Mr Turnbull said.
The opposition plan would be a “win, win, win for regional Australia”.
“What we will do is ensure that investment in the NBN fixed wireless network will enhance and augment mobile phone coverage in the bush.”
But Senator Wong rubbished the coalition plan as “fraudband” and a “lemon”.
“The coalition’s fraudband policy is a policy that is akin to building a big freeway and having dirt roads off to the side as the way you get to your house,” she told Sky News.
“It won’t do the job that Australia needs this infrastructure to do, not just in the next 10 years, but in the next 30, 40, 50, 60 years.”
Earlier today, Tony Abbott denied that internet speeds would be slower under the coalition’s plan than under Labor’s more expensive plan.
“The short answer is ‘no’,” he told the Australian Radio Network in Melbourne.
“90 per cent of households will get 50 to 100 megabit downloads and they will get it for one third of the cost of Labor’s broadband.”
Labor is rolling out fibre to the premises (FTTP), with download speeds the same to all premises along the cable.
Mr Abbott said Labor’s NBN rollout was poorly managed and expensive.
“What we are proposing is much swifter to roll out and much more affordable.”
The coalition’s NBN plan is projected to cost $29.5 billion and be completed by 2019, with Labor’s plan expected to cost $44.1 billion and be finished two years later.
Opposition communication spokesman Malcolm Turnbull later stressed how the coalition’s NBN plan would deliver high speeds capable of providing the services people needed.
“In our network, what we will do is build in capacity with the option of upgrading as and when demand arises,” he told Fairfax Radio today.
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