This was published 3 years ago
Blue Mountains residents turn off NBN in storms or risk no connection for days
By Laura Chung
Whenever a storm is forecast, Blue Mountains residents are quick to turn off their internet modems. If they're too slow, they risk losing their connection, and sometimes phone services, for days.
Since the NBN was installed in the middle of last year, the modem at the Hazelbrook General Practice has blown three times.
Residents in the lower Blue Mountains are forced to turn off their NBN modems in storms.Credit: Wolter Peeters
Each time, the practice's six phone lines, which are used to deal with hundreds of patients, are diverted to one mobile that rings non-stop. Other systems, including COVID-19 and pathology results, are unable to be accessed.
"It's very difficult," practice manager Cathy Hamilton said. "The reality is, we work and try to institute systems to make sure no one falls through the cracks. None of those systems work when we don't have any communication."
The first time the modem blew, Ms Hamilton took her home one to work - much to the annoyance of her family. Another time, she borrowed a friend's.
The issue spans across the lower Blue Mountains, including the areas of Hazelbrook, Hawkesbury Heights, Warrimoo and Lapstone, where residents rely on a fibre-to-the-curb NBN connection.
Affected residents will see a light on their modem flash red and hear a clicking noise. To get a new modem, residents have to call their internet provider - which lodges the problem with NBN Co, and within days issues a new one.
In some cases, residents who rely on their internet for phone services, including landlines or Wi-Fi calls from mobiles, are unable to communicate.
Warrimoo resident Matthew Beck, whose modem has blown three times, has asked the NBN for a back-up one, but has been refused.
"It’s fortunate that when it has happened to me, the work I have been doing is non-time-sensitive," he said. "If I hear the thunder, I jump on the Bureau of Metrology radar to see if the storm is coming and, if it is particularly bad, I will turn the modem off. It just seems an archaic process."
Federal Labor local MP Susan Templeman said the issue had turned the region into the "Dark Ages".
"People race home to unplug [their boxes]. If you are not there, you hope it hasn't blown," she said.
"Last year we were watching for fires, this summer we are watching for storms.
"Right now, there is the flexibility of school holidays ... but when push comes to shove and families head back into their normal routines, no one can afford an infinite period without NBN."
In December, Australia was ranked 61st in the world for broadband speeds and fifth for mobile speeds by the Speedtest Global Index.
"Whether it's storms, bushfires or pandemics, NBN Co does its utmost to help ensure Australians remain connected to fast, reliable and secure broadband," a spokesperson for NBN Co said.
"We are aware of reports of some instances of lightning strikes impacting the localised operation of some components of fibre-to-the-curb (FTTC) network equipment. We know this is impacting customers living in high lightning areas like the Blue Mountains.
"Our technical teams continuously look to investigate ways to reduce the impact of lightning on our electronic equipment with ongoing testing and trials as part of this process. Although lightning is known to interfere with communications and electrical equipment, only a small proportion of customers in these areas are affected."
The spokesperson said the company was working on improvements to respond to the lightning events and restore customer services quickly.
They also advised customers to unplug all connections to their NBN network connection device including power, telephone cable and Wi-Fi gateway during a storm.
A spokesman from Minister for Communications Paul Fletcher said the office was aware of "reports of lightning affecting the operation of some components of FTTC network equipment".
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