Hasty claims that broadband is an infrastructure priority made by Telstra

A recent statement issued by David Quilty, the newly appointed “Dr Phil” for Telstra, calls for broadband to be made the first infrastructure priority by the Australian Federal Government.

This affirms the belief that the building of the National Broadband Network is the best company for the job even though they are complaining that 3 years have been lost by the regulatory hurdle that has been placed in their way.

Telstra, one of the main telcos in Australia, has insisted that the “first cab off the rank” be broadband after plans to spend AUS $20 billion on infrastructure were fast tracked through by Kevin Rudd, the Australian Prime Minister. A statement has been put together by David Quilty, the MD of Public Policy and Communications at Telstra stating why the first priority should be broadband and that for the last three years it has been desperate to build the National Broadband Network (NBN).

“Telstra has been trying to build the National Broadband Network for more than three years, but we have been stymied at every turn by backward-looking regulation, red-tape and bureaucracy,” said Quilty

Shameless claims made by Quilty who is completely convinced that Telstra has what it takes to build the NBN and that it is the best telco for the job, included the statement: “The National Broadband Network is a massive project, larger than the Snowy Mountains Scheme, and will cost many billions of dollars and take many years to build. It is hugely complex, with tens of thousands of nodes and more than 100,000kms of optical fibre being laid all over Australia in a fundamental upgrade of Telstra’s fixed network. The National Broadband Network must be world-class and the job must be done properly from the start. The reality is that Telstra is the only company that has the network; the financial capability; the proven record; the technical capacity; the skilled work force; the world-class vendors; and the detailed plans to build Australia’s single most important infrastructure project.”