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Print

Country girls don’t forget their roots

10 August 2007

Posted by: Rhonda Griffin

Topic: Telstra , Shareholder

Tags:    blog  gulargambone  helen-coonan  rhonda-griffin  wikipedia

I have something in common with Helen Coonan – we both claim country roots.

We have both moved on to the bright lights of the big city however, she as the Minister for Communications, and me... sitting here writing this blog.

Minister Coonan is from a property outside the little hamlet of Mangoplah, about 40kms from Wagga Wagga. I spent my formative years in a town 100km west of Dubbo called Gulargambone.

Helen Coonan’s hometown is recorded in her Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org) entry. I don’t rate a Wiki, so maybe this is where our similarity ends.

But it is worth looking at the two towns. At a claimed 500 pop. (that must include the surrounding district, surely) Gulargambone is a metropolis compared to Mangoplah.

Gulargambone is something of a success story for such a tiny town. It was 2004 NSW Tidy Town of the Year, and earlier this year it won the NSW Tourism Industry Award for General Tourism Services (2006). The award was for a café and information centre completely run by community volunteers called 2828 (www.gulargambone2828.com) – the town’s postcode.

Though I haven’t been back to Gular for about six years, I keep an eye on these things from time to time.

I’m sure the Minister (www.usyd.edu.au) keeps an eye on things in Mango

I know for example that Gular got ADSL in March 2005 with the assistance of money from the government’s Higher Bandwidth Incentive Scheme. I have no doubt this has had a great benefit for the community and its various local enterprises.

Mangoplah, unfortunately, doesn’t have ADSL. By a twist of fate, it was on the list of towns Telstra (www.telstra.com.au) would have upgraded to ADSL if it had been successful in the Broadband Connect bid, along with more than 1,500 other little towns.

Under OPEL - according to the maps (www.broadbandnow.gov.au), it looks like Mangoplah could get WiMAX. When it’s built... if it works!

The country girls will be watching.

In the meantime, with an external antenna, people in Mangoplah should be able to access NextG™ wireless broadband.

Comments

First commentLast comment

Uyen Nguyen
10 August 2007
5:59pm

Comment Permalink

Good one, Rhonda.

Dan Warne
10 August 2007
6:40pm

Comment Permalink

"In the meantime, with an external antenna, people in Mangoplah should be able to access NextG™ wireless broadband." But can they afford it? At 3GB for $149.95 it's not exactly a household-priced service, is it. Also, what's with the trademark symbols making their way into your blog posts? Has the marketing department taken over the PR department?

Rhonda Griffin
13 August 2007
11:53am

Comment Permalink

But Dan, there is a six-month half-price offer for Telstra full service customers - however I won't go into all the details for fear of being accused of working for the marketing department. Further info here. http://www.beeneverywhere.com.au/?page=backSeat¶ms=[manual,6] Of course you have quoted the price of top end plan, but someone without any other broadband options (except Satellite) may consider this, or one of the lower-price plans, good value for money...particularly while they are on a special offer. As to my use of the trade mark, I can only say that it was all my own work. I remember a memo some months ago that we should include it. Just trying to do the right thing, even if I don't remember why.

Paul Hunneybell
13 August 2007
3:11pm

Comment Permalink

In response to Dan Warnes comments previously, I'd just like to say congratulations Dan for throwing up an example of a plan thats really unlikely to be used by a "standard" user who isnt doing anything illegal like file sharing. The majority of the customers from rural areas who I speak with use email, internet banking and a bit of browsing. This makes the $49 for 1 gig actually exceptionally good value. Take into account that it requires no phoneline, and can be moved to another location if you move for no charge, i'd say thats pretty good value. If your going to have a go about the pricing, at least have a go about a plan your average person will be subjected to, rather than the premium plans meant for business with mobile needs, which costs more due to the fact that it can be used on the move. Since noone else offers such a service, wouldnt you expect it to cost more? Cheers.

Mr Bored
13 August 2007
5:29pm

Comment Permalink

Why is this blog still called Media Matters? I never read anything about the media here any more, just the same old boredband prop-a-ganda

So Over Telstra
15 August 2007
4:49pm

Comment Permalink

Why does Telstra always resort to personal attacks? Is it because you can't win the argument on facts alone? Stop pretending that Telstra is at all being benevolent about broadband and admit that it's about the bottom line and your shareholders' back pockets as Mr Burgess likes to remind people so regularly. How much of the taxpayer funded tenders has Telstra won over the last decade - nearly all of them? Stop with the sour grapes. Clearly Telstra didn't get the money because it didn't deserve it - get over it. PS: If you haven't been back to your hometown for more than six years, I hardly think you can vouch for the coverage of your broadband network or your speeds. I can guarantee that politicians get out and about more than Telstra execs to hear the real story of your Next G network from the people at the coalface.

Dan Warne
15 August 2007
9:53pm

Comment Permalink

Paul, it's easy for a household to go through 3GB without doing anything 'illegal' like file sharing -- YouTube, operating system patches, photo sharing, online backup services, internet radio, etc -- I could go on forever. Besides, I don't see what's wrong with country folk wnting to do a bit of P2P file sharing like city dwellers do. P2P accounts for the very vast majority of traffic on the internet today, is a key driver of broadband takeup, and is causing content providers to rethink their business models and provide more convenient digital content distribution models to consumers. Why should country folk be left out of this?

Craig Breen
16 August 2007
11:03am

Comment Permalink

Paul you're right. Unfortunately Dan's view is that everyone needs the biggest fattest pipes and they shouldn't have to pay for it either. He'll be first to praise foreign companies like SingTel and Vodafone for undercutting Telstra's prices, but give no consideration at all to the fact they will never provide coverage in the small towns Rhonda mentions. Hate to keep saying it, but that's what's wrong with the media in this country, giving people like this a platform to write shallow, narrow minded comments that do a disservice to the country as a whole. So there you go Mr Bored, the blog does say a lot about media!

Rhonda Griffin
16 August 2007
1:49pm

Comment Permalink

To "So Over Telstra" - what "personal attack" am I alleged to have made? Is the mere mention of someone's name these days, in association with their recorded history and background, a "personal attack"? If you have read my earlier blogs you will see why the OPEL contract is different to ones previously won by Telstra, and others. This time it is about funding duplicate services in some deluded notion subsidising "competition" is better than funding services where people are still in need. As to what I know about Gulargambone without having been there a while - I have a new-fangled thing called a computer. I looked up when the exchange was upgraded, and even how many people are connected. I'm glad to hear about your intimate knowledge of the work of politicians at the coalface, but you can't claim they know more about our networks, handsets, services and customers and Telstra's people do.

Mr Bored
16 August 2007
6:47pm

Comment Permalink

Breenie. Man ... you are the biggest argument twister I have ever encountered. Where does Dan SAY he wants everyone to get bulk broadband for nothing? FACT: Telstra's broadband charges are very high in both Australia and the world. FACT: Telstra is VERY profitable. FACT: Telstra runs around saying how important broadband is to Australia. QUESTION: Is broadband as important to Australia as profits are to Telstra?

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