Aberglasslyn residents frustrated with lack of NBN

Mark Sales, 41, said he and other residents of Cedar Wattle Close were frustrated at continued delay to NBN access after other parts of Rutherford and Aberglasslyn went live at the beginning of August.

“Every time we put our addresses in to TPG, iinet or Telstra, it would come up with ‘this service is not available at your address’,” he said.

“I put my grandmother’s address in, she lives two kilometres away in Rutherford, and I put a friend’s address in who lives about 200 metres up the road from me, and it would say ‘success’.”

Mr Sales said a search of service maps of the nearby area showed Cedar Wattle Close was part of a small area in Aberglasslyn where the NBN was not available.

When Fairfax Media contacted NBN Co about the issue on August 16, a spokesperson said the street would be live within a week.

“The network is rolled out in modules which means different areas and suburbs within the Maitland region are built and subsequently switched on,” she said at the time.

On Monday, a fortnight later, Mr Sales was told by three internet service providers that his premises was not able to connect to the NBN.

Mr Sales is a busy man and doesn’t have time spend long periods on the phone to service providers or NBN Co. 

He splits his time caring for his mother, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, earns a living by transporting children with disabilities to and from school and studies aged care at university.

“I rang up the NBN Co and got the run-around,” Mr Sales said.

“The galling thing was a letterbox drop from service providers saying ‘the NBN is available in your area’ – of course you’re going to search your address.

“If [NBN Co] came to residents, even with a letterbox drop, and explained the delay, there wouldn't be the frustration and anger leveled at them over this. 

“But we are being kept like mushrooms.”

The NBN spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday that Cedar Wattle Close premises were having connection problems.

“NBN is carrying out rectification works to resolve an issue preventing a small number of premises from connecting to the NBN network,” she said.

“The works will be completed by September 19, which will allow residents to order an NBN service. As the works are isolated, homes and businesses in the wider Aberglasslyn are not affected and are able to make the switch to the NBN.”