That's the thrust of a petition presented to the federal government on Tuesday by the Member for Canberra, Gai Brodtmann.

More than 770 people signed the petition, calling for the roll-out of the National Broadband Network in Canberra to be prioritised.

Ms Brodtmann started the online petition after holding an NBN community forum where people vented their frustration at broadband speeds in Canberra, particularly on the southside.

"The vast majority of Tuggeranong is not even listed on the latest three year rollout map," she said.

"This means suburbs like Monash and Theodore, which have the lowest rating in the country for both availability and quality of broadband, won't have access to the NBN for at least three years.

"The lack of internet access is impeding the ability of Canberrans to maximise opportunities and realise their potential in small business, education and civil society."

Although about 81,000 Canberra and Queanbeyan homes are a step closer to having NBN access, with several suburbs recently announced to have construction on the broadband network begin by next September, many others remain in limbo.

Tuggeranong has emerged the biggest loser with only Wanniassa and Kambah earmarked for the NBN in the next three years.

Gungahlin was granted early access to the NBN by the former federal Labor government because of the inferior telecommunications infrastructure installed when the suburb was built.

Residents were given fibre-optic cable to the home, which delivers internet at fast speeds.

Under the Coalition, the faster fibre-to-the-home system was abandoned in favour of the cheaper fibre-to-the-node, or street cabinet.

Ms Brodtmann said half a million homes and business across the country with "terrible" internet access would have to wait for the NBN until the end of 2018.

"Before the election the Liberals promised that all Australians would have access to the NBN by the end of 2016," she said.

"At the end of 2013, the government admitted it would be breaking this promise.

"Now large parts of the ACT will get a second rate NBN that relies on old copper – that's if Canberrans can even find their suburb on the rollout map."

This week it was revealed the "digital divide" in Gungahlin is officially set to end, although the date set for completion of the work is several years away.

A pocket of streets in Casey were among the only ones in the entire Gungahlin region to miss out on the capital region's initial National Broadband Network rollout, aside from the next stage underway in Nicholls.

It means residents on the east side of Ashton Calvert Street struggle with internet access over the dodgy copper wire network that was installed when the suburb was built, while their neighbours across the bitumen can download videos at high speed, via fibre-to-the-home NBN.