To those brave investors who still hold their Telstra shares, notwithstanding today’s record lows, I believe there is much we can do to help our Board restore some sanity and fairness into the anti-telstra market.
Now is the time to consider our options. Now is the time to develop a strategy to thwart the looming Telstra – disaster plan of the Rudd Government.

I make no claim to be market-smart, so I am happy to offer my support to anyone out there who can develop a clear strategy to defeat the Government plan of substituting another monopoly, NBN Coy, for the one they claim Telstra to be.
Put simply, the Government sold their Telecom, complete with existing assets, to us, the public, and now they want it back. I see that as nationalisation.

Here are some things it would pay us to bear in mind:
It is of no use looking to the Federal Opposition for succour. Remember the distinctly and publicly demonstrated Howard hostility to Telstra, and his arrogant 11th hour appointment to the Telstra Board?
Recognize that we have the strength of numbers. No politician in his right mind wishes to incur the wrath of over a million voters, not counting the ripple effect when you include shareholders’ families.
Our Board has promised that no deal will be concluded without shareholder approval. It is up to us, then, to see that we do not approve a deal which is inimical to shareholders’ interests.
Be aware of Government duplicity as disclosed in the draft legislation with its extension from wholesale-only network provider to potentially, and additionally, a retailer. If in doubt about this, think also of their bullying tactics, with the threat of limiting Telstra’s access to spectrum, unless Telstra agrees to functional separation

Is there some learned person out there who would know whether there is an arguable case which could be put to the High Court on constitutional grounds, should the Rudd Government carry out their plans in full? Short of that, if things go badly, and we do not get a satisfactory outcome to the current negotiations, I believe Telstra should consider:
launching a Telstra Broadband Company to give strong competition to the NBN Coy, competition which the Government mandates for all other Companies. I would become a founding shareholder in such a Company, which I would expect to give priority to areas of Australia which would give best value for funds invested. For example, the Melbourne and/or Sydney areas.
Test the offending enabling legislation before the High Court.
Delay to the maximum any transfer of assets to the NBN Coy required under any legislation.

In the meantime, I intend to:

write to the Minister stating my objections to their present plans for implementing a National Broadband Network
study in detail the proposed NBN Coy legislation so that I will be in a position to understand the full implications of the Government proposal, and spread the message of the need for Telstra shareholders to be vigilant.

It is rather pleasing to know that Australia’s Telecommunications are alive and well.

Yesterday I spent time and red eyes viewing proceedings in OUR SENATE (http://webcast.aph.gov.au/livebroadcasting/)

The debate over Telstra’s fate is going well and akin to a voyage of discovery which prompted me to contact some of the participants VIZ:

Dear Senator……..

After viewing the hard work by cross bench and opposition Senators in our Senate yesterday, I was appalled by the action of five Government Ministers of the crown labelling the upper house “obstructionist” and the thugish behaviour of Senator Conroy by uttering that senators delivered the most obstructionist Senate in 30 years. Clearly, this is reminiscent of the bad days when Paul Keating labeled Senators “fairies at the bottom of the garden” or words to that effect.

Senator Milne outlined the appalling inaction by the Labor Government pertaining to the botched and costly Green Loans scheme. This recipe for disaster pales into insignificance when compared to the $43 billion NBN project at a time of slow demand for fast broadband by customers valuing mobility over speed. According to a report in the Australian Financial Review on the 10 March 2010, Telstra upgraded its cable to Melbourne which provides download speeds of 100 megabits per second, the maximum speed that will initially be available on the federal government’s NBN, only to discover that it attracted about 200 customers in our Southern metropolis.

Some extracts, Courtesy: AFR 10/03/2010.

Kind Regards

Vasso Massonic

Big day/evening today, see what brings forth.

Jenny,
The other providers (overseas multinationals mostly) are increasing their profits whilst Telstra’s profits are going down. Telstra has to plan, install and maintain almost all the copper network in Australia. The overseas multinationals do not build it or maintain it since our famous ACCC (G. Samuels) regulated Telstra to give away its network capacity for practically nix. So overseas companies stopped spending money here on cable infrastructure and what they did install is left to rot in the ground because it is cheaper to use Telstra’s.
Telstra, I think, are not allowed to drive the overseas competitors out so they are stuck with the situation. Telstra has to look after ALL Australia (unprofitable or not). They have to try and make a profit so what do they do? It seems they have to penalise its own customers to the benefit of the overseas telcos. If the playing field was level, all telcos would be forced to compete fairly. Then Telstra would really shine!
That is the way I see it, I would love to hear some facts and views on this.

Edna & Fred Leech. I am with you all the way!
I am outraged with all the so called Australians who are instrumental and complicit in destroying a great Australian icon company.
I’m just an ‘ordinary Joe’ but as I see it, Telstra is competing against insidious and very powerful overseas forces. It is impossible to tell how they operate here in Australia – but they have been very successful to date, just look at the result. Who would have thought that Telstra could have been reduced to the state it finds itself in today?
But, with some support now coming from the Conservative ranks, I live in hope!
There are many Telstra knockers that call themselves patriotic Australians and it’s called the ‘tall poppy syndrome’. See how they feel if they are left with Optus, Vodafone, Hutchison, 3 etc to look after their telecommunications!

Conspiracy theory # 10 Bill. Ooh…

I think we have actually found someone who can out Sydney and out Vasso, in relation to ridiculous, well… everything, lol…

Jenny, it does seem very odd but the powers that be, decide what’s mindlessly good for us and our Industry.

Let me explain. The telecommunications watchdog, aka Graeme Samuel, the ACCC supremo decides on the regulated wholesale rate that must be offered to Telstra’s, shall we say ‘competitors’, (there are 600 hundred of them). Clearly, a rate that is below the cost of Telstra maintaining its aged copper network, let alone, providing services in terms of its Universal Service Obligations, meaning providing services to hundreds of outlying areas where ‘competitors’ don’t venture because there is no easy money for them. Hence, Telstra is lumbered with that part of its business and the likes of you, me and Telstra shareholders carry the ’shortfall’ can.

As it happens, the following may elucidate this, age old, folly further:

“iPrimus’ cheapest copper network ADSL2+ is $30 a month on a 3GB download quota, which is provided over Telstra’s unbundled local loop at a cost of $16.70 per month in metropolitan areas”

Extract, Courtesy:

http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/NBN-
study-prices-cheap-slow-broadband/0,130061791,339301701,00.htm

Kind Regards

Hey Fellas and Gals.
Lets have a contest to see who has lost the most money investing in Telstra!
Since K. Rudd got the leadership of this country I have lost, roughly, about $200,000.
Oh, how I love the Labor Party!

I have been away for awhile, but I see D-Day is coming fast, what will Rudd do ? Will the impeccable Mr. Thodey pull a rabbit out of a hat and save the day, (sorry, and regards David).
I’m not a Telstra shareholder, but I have ridden the average persons internet connection, from Dial Up and a very adequate ADSL connection. Over a period of 7 years the price for the two has become the same. Please excuse my going of the Political situation, and the theme, but these are my thoughts which I feel have been overlooked.

This situation has so many facets we may just as well call a jeweller to come chip a few off, and create something more tangible.

Personally the NBN sounds like a big farce.

I would insist K. Rudd attend a suitable Technical College, or University, to obtain a Certificate, OR more suitably a Diploma in Computer Science, or similar, before being let near anything to do with the Web, The Internet, and Telstra.

Also I feel we all need consensus on what do we use the Internet for; and thus, why do we want it at all.

A cenus of Businesses, Departments, Schools, Uni’s, etc. needs to be done to align what sensible hardware should be laid down for a NBN before anything is done.

It is really fine to have lightening fast Broadband, but if we are only using text, i.e., Email, and small items obviously the lightening fast speeds are useless.
That is not to say that we don’t need good fast speeds available. But if it is to download illegal material, such as Movies, Concerts, Porn, whatever, we will just be adding fuel to the fire of criminal activity on the Net.

How fast does a Virus infect a Network, let’s say in the Taxation Office ? Nanoseconds, …poof off go all our records to some place were they can make more use of all our details in a criminal way than the Government of Australia could ever do !

To be clear about what I’m saying; at least do some basic research as to what we need as a Nation as far as infrastructure. What’s the point of buying a Rolls Royce, when a Volkswagon will do, in most cases ?

Plus some basic computer science education must be paramount on the To Do list.
By opening up a huge fast network we will also be inviting the bad things that happen online to happen quicker.
So the Governments “Filter” will cope with all this. We already have seen the Government doesn’t have the knowledge to create an effective Filter, and there are so many decent ones already, which seems to be unknown to the computer illiterate idiots in Canberra.

Great things can be done in a positive socially enhancing way online, and the World can work efficiently online, countless countries doing fine business, and social growth. But someone has to take charge, or oversee, and that person needs a helluva lot of Advanced Degrees in Science to even have an inkling to build or advise on a NBN.

Work Smart Australia, we only get one shot at this !

When will you fat leaches realize the beast is dead, there is no blood left, you have had a good run of exploiting the Australian people with an unfair advantage, you will now be forced to compete in a fair democratic environment, this will have the effect of the rat’s finally having to leave the ship, hoping to get another free ride on some other beast, (these parasites need to be exterminated) they are cold greedy people whose only foresight is to line their wallet at the expense of other Australians.

Services, like the communications, water, natural gas, petroleum are vital services to all Australian’s and should be owned by the Australian people, not handed over to those greedy cold hearted parasites.

The good news is that it’s a changing world & times are a changing, if you are complacent enough you will drown in your own pool of greed, just like the weather there is no guarantee that all things remain as they have in the past. 