FOI Requests
nbn
Level 11, 100 Arthur Street
North Sydney NSW 2060

In re: Location of existing FTTN cabinets
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I request a copy of an electronic document (e.g., database extract or spreadsheet) showing the location of all existing FTTN cabinets. I assume that this information will be easily extractable from NBN Co Ltd's existing electronic records. If it is possible to provide the requested document under administrative arrangements, please do so. Otherwise, please treat this as a formal application under the Freedom of Information Act, 1982.

Yours faithfully,

Mark R. Diamond

FOI Requests
nbn
Attention: Mr David J Mesman
Level 11, 100 Arthur Street
North Sydney NSW 2060
In re: Location of existing FTTN cabinets. Your reference: 1617/44.02
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Thank you for your letter of 23 February 2017 in which you set out the charges that you anticipate it would cost to process my FOI request. I would like to be able to reduce the costs in light of the information you provided. To do that, it would be helpful if I had some idea of what information nbn might hold in what form.

If a technician who was not responsible for the installation of the FTTN cabinets connected, say, to the South Perth telephone exchange was required, after the time of their installation to visit each connected cabinet, how would she know where to go? Would she, for example,
(a) have to rely on being able to find another technician who knew where each cabinet was located, or
(b) might she be able to interrogate a geographical information system that had a layer indicting the location of each FTTN cabinet, or
(c) would she be able to interrogate a database in which one of the potential search fields is “Exchange Code”, and search for “SPTH”.

It would also be helpful if you could tell me how you have reached your estimate of (a) the search and retrieval time, and (b) the review and decision making time. Are you, for example, estimating that the review time is proportional to the number of FTTN cabinets, with the review of each cabinet location taking a particular amount of time (in which case I might be able to reduce the cost by effectively reducing the number of cabinets for which I seek location details), or is there some other basis. Similarly, it would help to know how you have estimated the search and retrieval time.

I would appreciate any information that you can give me to reduce either the scope and cost of the request.

Yours faithfully,
Mark R. Diamond

FOI Requests
nbn
Attention: Mr David J Mesman
Level 11, 100 Arthur Street
North Sydney NSW 2060
In re: Location of existing FTTN cabinets. Your reference: 1617/44.02
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Dear Mr Mesman,

Many thanks for the detailed information in your email of 2 March 2017 and for your explanations. I appreciate it very much. In light of the new information I would like to dramatically reduce the scope of my request --- although I might lodge another request with greater scope at a later date.

I request:
(i) the location of FTTN cabinets connected to the following two telephone exchanges: Kingston Tasmania (Telstra exchange identifier KITN) and Margate Tasmania (Telstra exchange identifier MAGE);
(ii) the number of FTTN cabinets connected to those two exchanges.

Yours faithfully,
Mark R. Diamond

Dear David Mesman,

I am writing to ask whether you would be willing to allow another 30 days for me to see if I can raise the money for the charges that you have outlined. There seems little point in paying the deposit and asking you to process the request if I can't eventually pay the full amount. I know you're under no obligation to give the extension. All I can say is that an extension would save us both the hassle of me lodging exactly the same request later.

Yours sincerely,

Mark R. Diamond