Even in the midst of the troubled NBN rollout, an increasing number of Australians believe broadband should be a top priority infrastructure investment for the nation - ahead of energy, roads and housing.
Image: Fotocitizen
Carried out in 28 countries, the findings of the Ipsos Infrastructure Index conducted via Global @dvisor indicate 46% of Australians put broadband infrastructure investment as a top priority, ahead of all other infrastructure types and up from 43% a year ago.
Just 32% of Australians felt the nation's current broadband infrastructure was very or fairly good - down 6% on 2016 and the lowest result out of all countries. 62% believed it to be fairly or very poor; up 8% on 2016.
The survey is quite fresh - 21,043 interviews were carried out between late August and early September this year with adults from countries including Australia, the USA, New Zealand, France, Germany and Great Britain.
Australia’s infrastructure : Public satisfaction and priorities can be viewed here (PDF).
In related news, a recent report from the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) says complaints regarding the NBN increased 160 per cent in the last financial year.
"Complaints about services delivered over the National Broadband Network more than doubled, and while this is somewhat to be expected given the accelerating rollout, the increase is a cause for concern," said Ombudsman Judi Jones.
Last financial year was the first time internet services complaints outpaced complaints concerning mobile phones.
"The picture the complaints show is we are frustrated when we cannot rely on technology to stay connected, to be informed, and to do business," stated Ms. Jones. "Sharing high quality videos immediately, holding an online meeting or watching Netflix on the way home, is now the norm and part of our daily routine."
27,195 total complaints were received about services delivered over the National Broadband Network in 2016/17 and according to an ABC report, NBN issues reported to the TIO quadrupled in the period January to June this year.
Of that 27,195 figure, 16,221 were complaints about faults, representing 6.7 complaints per 1,000 total premises activated. There were 11,224 complaints about delays in connection to the national broadband network.
Overall, there were 63,892 complaints made about internet services during 2016/17, making up 40.4% of all complaints to the TIO.
The TIO's 2016–2017 Annual Report can be viewed here (PDF).
