National Broadband Network: Addressing complaints about broadband speeds

What are consumers complaining about?

The National Broadband Network (NBN) project has been in the public spotlight since it was first announced. An area that is receiving increasing attention is consumer complaints. As more consumers are migrating to the NBN, the number of complaints is increasing. These complaints tend to be concentrated in two areas:

• Poor migration experiences: Data, including that provided by the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman, indicates complaints arise from difficulties in obtaining information, failure by relevant entities to take responsibility for migration problems, long lead times for connections and missed appointments.
• Slow broadband speeds: Consumers are also complaining about slow speeds. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) believes that these complaints have two main causes. First, consumers may not realise that the plans they have purchased may not meet their needs because those plans only deliver