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VIRTUALISATION Coalition says Labor changing 98% broadband NBN promise
VIRTUALISATION Coalition says Labor changing 98% broadband NBN promise | Coalition says Labor changing 98% broadband NBN promise |
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| by Alex Zaharov-Reutt | |
| Sunday, 18 January 2009 | |
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First we have a minimum 12Mbps fibre broadband guarantee that has seen delay after delay, with a 5 year build-out timeframe that hasn’t seen a single sod of soil turned, any contracts awarded and the removal of Australia’s dominant teclo, Telstra, from the NBN (National Broadband Network) tender bidding process. Then came the revelations that Australia’s new Government wants to censor the Internet, supposedly to protect Australians from child pornographers by blocking websites that pedophiles aren’t using in any case, preferring instead to operate via P2P and other more secretive channels. This then led the Government to announce it would trial the filtering of P2P services as well. Now we have the Federal Opposition making claims that the “Rudd Government does not believe taxpayers should have to foot the bill for broadband services in any part of Australia where a commercially sustainable wireless option is available”. Opposition Shadow Minister for Communications, Senator Nick Minchin, says in that statement that this “raises serious questions about its motivation to spend $4.7 billion of taxpayers' money on its trouble-plagued National Broadband Network”. The rest of the Senator’s statement is as follows: “It has been reported that the Rudd Government plans to reduce subsidies available under the Australian Broadband Guarantee (ABG) program by tens-of-millions of dollars because of the continued expansion of 3G wireless services. “The ABG was established by the previous Coalition Government to provide Australians living in under-serviced parts of the country access to subsidised broadband services such as satellite. “In what could amount to a major broadband policy shift by Labor, the spokesman for Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has told The Australian: "The purpose of the ABG is to ensure metro-comparable broadband is available to all Australians. If it is available from a sustainable commercial operator then there is no need for taxpayers to subsidise." “Senator Minchin said these comments indicate that the Rudd Government itself does not really believe taxpayer money should be spent in any area where the private sector is providing some type of viable broadband service fixed or wireless. "The Rudd Government wants to spend $4.7 billion of taxpayers' money on a fibre to the node project that will replicate the type of fixed-line services already available to many Australians, particularly those living in metro areas, but is now effectively saying it doesn't really believe taxpayers should have to pay," Senator Minchin said. The Senator’s comments continue on page 2, please read on. |
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