By NICOLE WILLIAMS
NEW Pakenham residents claim they are being forced to fight for landline phones and internet access in restrictive deals between developers and a telecommunications carrier.
Amberlea estate resident Susan Kendall said she wasn’t aware the area was limited to one carrier when she signed on the dotted line for her land over a year ago.
“Nobody told anybody that you can’t get Telstra here,” she said. “You don’t know until you buy a block and try to connect.”
Ms Kendal said she discovered that all televisions, landline phones and internet had to be connected via fibre optics in her estate.
“A lot of people in the estate don’t have any internet at all and without internet they can’t have a phone,” she said. “A lot can’t even have regular TV because we weren’t allowed to put aerials up (under the estate covenant).”
CNT Corp is the owner and operator of the fibre optic infrastructure in the Amberlea and Edenbrook Estate and has the right to choose a limited number of retailers, in this case three.
CMT Corp director David Setiady confirmed the deal and that some retailers were not yet ‘ready’ to connect in the area.
This leaves residents, like Ms Kendall, only two options when deciding on an internet provider.
“If you require internet you only get to choose from two internet companies,” she said. “None of the well-known internet companies are able to supply these estates. It is very anti-competitive.”
Ms Kendall bit the bullet and signed up for internet with little-known company Aftel, with a connection bill of more than $2000.
But she refuses to pay for the fibre optic phone line and her family relies on mobile phones.
Ms Kendall said she was still paying a premium for internet connection and not getting the download speed promised.
“It is really expensive. And quite often it is down,” she said. “The more people join up, the worse it gets.”
This is not the first time issues have arisen regarding internet connection in the Pakenham area.
Residents from new estates including Lakeside, have been campaigning for improved internet access after years of problems.
A simple online search revealed a number of forums where residents have gathered to discuss the issue and a possible solution.
The general feeling expressed is that there is no solution and residents are being forced to pay a premium for unknown internet providers.
Mr Setiady said if any resident had concerns or were unable to connect with telecommunications services, they should contact CNT Corp directly.
