Never get tyred of good deeds Maleny ‘net is just sigh-fi

By Jennifer Kent

RESIDENTS and businesses across Maleny are continuing to have to make do with inferior broadband, pay a premium for satellite services or default to hotspotting.

Just 90 minutes from Brisbane and 30 minutes from the Sunshine Coast’s light speed 550km undersea fibre optic cable, Maleny continues to be treated like a regional backwater when it comes to the otherwise ubiquitous technology.

Frustrated residents are resorting to using hotspot from their phones just to ensure quality broadband, while others are forking out for expensive satellite connections.

While reliable broadband in Brisbane costs about $85 per month ongoing, US-based satellite service Starlink comes with a $450 set-up price tag and $130 in ongoing costs.

located towers is impacted by growing vegetation and while this is not essential for the current 4G connection, it does help.”

Richard said that for those remaining on ADSL technology with no upgrade path are “condemned to an uncertain internet future”. Remaining online is critical for households and businesses and without adequate infrastructure, regional towns across the country are being left behind.

Telstra offer some NBN solutions throughout the Hinterland, although many premises still only receive ADSL speeds of about 20Mbps, which are widely dependent on location, set up and wiring, or require further infrastructure to connect to NBN.

While some areas experience adequate service, others regularly complain of disruptions or simply no service at all.

MALENY’S Bill Hankinson didn’t think he was doing anything particularly special when he helped a bloke change a flat tyre out the front of his house last week. After changing said tyre and sending him on his way, Bill thought nothing more of it. But to his surprise a few days later the same man turned back up at his house. Bill looked him up and down and said: “You don’t have another flat do you?” He didn’t, but what he did have was a boot jack he’d handmade especially for Bill as a thankyou gift. “I didn’t think too much of what I was doing, but this is a lovely gesture,” Bill said. “It’s a great thought.” Bill’s wife, Marlene, added: “There’s so many good things happening in the world, you don’t often hear of them, but this is one of them.”

Maleny resident Richard Proudfoot expressed his frustration that locals aren’t able to access the high speed internet they have been promised and paid for in their taxes.

“The infrastructure in place is not adequate, especially for where we are located,” he said. “Once you leave the main street, where even businesses with direct connection are continuing to have issues, the line of sight to the sparsely

Maleny was listed in the NBN and Australia Government’s latest suburbs/ towns set to become eligible for fibre connection (to house or business through wholesale speed tier1); these upgrades are part of the nbn fibre upgrade program for which the Australian Government last month announced an additional $2.4 billion investment.

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