Opticomm Ltd has been contracted by the NSW Government to construct and operate a Fibre Broadband Network for over 1,350 residences across Wamboin, Bywong and Sutton. This project has been covered in great detail in previous Whisper articles, in addition to the updates emailed to residents registered with the Wamboin Communications Action Group (WCAG). On 1 September 2022, over 120 residents attended a briefing on the project, conducted by Opticomm and the Department of Regional NSW (DRNSW), at the Contentious Character Winery in Wamboin.
Importantly, Opticomm have committed to consult with each property owner about the route to be followed for the Fibre lead-in cable from the road to the residence. To allow them to do so, they need to have contact details for all residents that are scheduled to be connected to the network. Please note that the rollout will happen on an area-by-area (cluster-by-cluster) basis and residents will be contacted just prior to the connection to the residence occurring. This staged approach to the construction of the network means that property owners may not be contacted for several months. However, registering now will assist Opticomm to communicate directly with individual owners should the need arise.
To simplify this process, Opticomm has created a dedicated page on their web site with details about the project, answers to frequently asked questions, along with a link to a web form allowing residents to ask further questions or just register their details.
To register, please follow these steps:
1. Before registering, if you haven’t already done so, first check that your property is scheduled to be connected by reviewing the Service List available on Opticomm’s dedicated project site at https://www.opticomm.com.au/nsw-regional-network/. Then scroll down to the section headed “What locations are included in the rollout?” and select the button marked “View List of Addresses ->”.
2. If your property is on that list, then go back to Opticomm’s project site (as above).
3. Scroll down to almost the bottom of this page and you will find a button marked “Register your address details”. Select this button.
4. The form that will be presented only requires you to provide your name, contact details and property address. Complete the form.
5. Select “Submit”.
Importantly, the connection to your residence is funded by the NSW Government and registering your details with Opticomm is not a commitment for you to make any payment. Opticomm will provide further information to residents about how to go about using the service, (including choosing a plan that meets your needs and budget), once the fibre is connected to the residence.
Some residents have asked why WCAG is unable to assist with providing Opticomm with this information. The reason is that WCAG previously advised residents that registered with it that it would not share their personal details with any commercial party. Consequently, WCAG is unable to provide the details it holds on residents to Opticomm, and all residents need to separately register with Opticomm.
What about properties not on the Service List ?
As mentioned in other updates on the project, in July 2022 WCAG reviewed the Service List published by the Department and identified that a small number of properties (inside the project’s boundary) had been missed and were not included on the list, notwithstanding that the property’s immediate neighbours on all sides were included. WCAG raised this issue with the Department and Project Team immediately and sought an explanation of how this occurred. WCAG has continued to raise this issue since then and has also spoken to our local member, Nichole Overall, and her staff. In particular, WCAG wanted to understand how this occurred and, more importantly, how the Department proposed to correct it.
In late August, the Department held meetings with about 20 of the affected residents. WCAG was not invited to participate in these meetings and therefore is unable to comment on the precise nature of these discussions. However, we do understand that the Department was left in no doubt about the degree of frustration those residents felt about being excluded.
WCAG has also been contacted by several residents and asked if we can “add their property to the Service List”. This is simply not something that WCAG can do. The Service List was created through a joint effort by the Department of Regional NSW and Opticomm. WCAG was not consulted in the development of the Service List prior to it being published. Had we been, we could have identified this issue before the list was finalised. Opticomm’s contract with the Department limits the connections they can provision to those included on the Service List and it is unable to unilaterally add properties to the contract. While it would be subject to Opticomm’s acceptance, the only party actually able to correct this error is the Department.
In early October 2022, WCAG was advised that issues with inaccurate mapping/property data led to properties being missed and that the Project team has since received updated information from both Yass and Queanbeyan-Palerang Councils.
Notwithstanding that WCAG has not been privy to communications between the Department and affected residents, it understands that the Department is reviewing each property and will then undertake a “feasibility study” to determine if properties are able to be brought back to being within the scope of the fibre roll-out. The Department plans to advise Property owners of the outcome of this assessment by the end of October 2022.
Importantly, if you are a resident of Wamboin, Bywong or Sutton and have not already checked that your property is included on the Service List, you should do so now. If you find that your property is not included and your neighbours are, and you haven’t already been contacted by the Department, you may wish to email the Department’s project team and seek advice. The email address is RDC.program@regional.nsw.gov.au. In addition, or if you are aware that your property is beyond the proposed boundary for services, you may wish to register your interest in being connected to the network in the future by requesting a site feasibility assessment from Opticomm (see their project web site).
WCAG’s web site: https://sites.google.com/site/wamboincommunications/home
Department of Regional NSW, Project Site: https://www.nsw.gov.au/snowy-hydro-legacy-fund/regional-digital-connectivity-program/gig-state/wamboin-bywong-and-sutton
Opticomm – Project Information: https://www.opticomm.com.au/nsw-regional-network/