Rather than celebrate World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) today, many Novocastrians are stuck in purgatory, cut off from their existing ADSL broadband services or bemoaning the slow speeds of Malcolm Turnbull’s second-rate copper NBN.

WTISD is an annual recognition of the possibilities and benefits that the internet can bring to societies and economies, as well as a day to raise awareness of ways to bridge the digital divide.

In Newcastle this year there is no celebration - the digital divide grows and complaints about the NBN soar.

There are the lucky few in Mayfield, who have received access to Labor’s superior fibre-to-the-premise NBN.

Their reliable, super-fast broadband readies them to compete in the global digital economy.

Next door in Newcastle, Hamilton and The Junction, it’s a different story.

Residents in Newcastle were in the top two Australia-wide for complaints to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman in the first quarter of this year, with slow data speeds, unusable internet services and connection problems the big issues.

There are many local residents who have been left completely behind – either waiting for the NBN to come to their neighbourhood, or having their existing ADSL service cut off without warning or reason.

Malcolm Turnbull’s second-rate NBN is a complete failure.

In Newcastle it’s so bad, NBN Co have taken the unprecedented step of issuing a formal apology.

Malcolm Turnbull has made a mess of the NBN and the digital divide in Newcastle continues to grow.