Supporters of the former federal government's fibre to the home broadband plan delivered a 270,000 signature petition to Dr David Gillespie.

The petition, through petition platform change.org, called on the federal government to scrap its fibre to the node or street corner model in favour of fibre to the home.

Dr Gillespie discussed the government's fibre to the node broadband approach and agreed to pass the petition to Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

Port Macquarie resident Stephen Long, a member of the NBN supporter group, said massive benefits would flow from better internet infrastructure in areas from health to education.

He said general practitioners, for example, would have reliable access to video conferences with specialists.

"We could save a lot of people with potentially serious medical conditions the need to travel to Sydney or Newcastle," Mr Long said.

He said there were significant benefits from the fibre to the premises or home model.

Dr Gillespie backs the government's fibre to the node approach.

"Fibre to the home requires much more expense and years and decades more delay for the rollout of broadband," he said.

Dr Gillespie said he did not need to be convinced about the merits of broadband.

Wauchope-based Uniting Church minister and distance education student Elizabeth Raine said the best available technology was needed to take us into the future.

"For our businesses, we need this technology," she said.

She experiences difficulty using the internet for study and work.

Dr Gillespie asked the group about broadband problem areas.

Two million households and businesses across the country can't access basic fixed-line broadband.