Taxpayers and telcos spend nearly $300 million a year to guarantee access to landlines and payphones, even though fewer and fewer people are using them.
  • Taleya@aussie.zone
    2·
    2 months ago

    Telstra is paid about $270 million a year to ensure all Australians have access to voice calls via “standard telephone services (landlines) and payphones”, regardless of where they live and work, under a legislated Universal Service Obligation (USO).

    How the almighty fuck does that work when the copper is decommissioned and everything forced over to nbn?

    Even if the copper is still extant, hooking an ancient handset up to it won’t work for telephony reasons, phone booths are being transformed to wifi booths so what exactly is this USO covering?

    • Baku@aussie.zoneOPEnglish
      4·
      2 months ago

      so what exactly is this USO covering?

      Um, money? Wouldn’t be Australia if we didn’t pay a private company to not really do anything, because it makes it seem like we’re actually doing something, while also making sure we don’t actually do anything