Communications Alliance, the peak industry body for the Australian communications industry, has called for a ‘NBN Digital Vision Day’ to set the direction for Australia’s transition to the broadband environment.

Hurley said the NBN announcement was a significant landmark in the journey towards Australia’s digital future and its rollout would both underpin and drive the transformation to a digital economy.
 
“Following the decision, stakeholders should come together to shape the vision for this transformation,” Hurley said, adding that ‘NBN Digital Vision Day’ would bring together a wide array of stakeholders to discuss a range of issues and set an ambitious vision for the national use of broadband networks.

Hurley suggested that discussion topics could include how government and industry could help facilitate the transition to broadband, the role of ICT as a driver of economic growth and how this could be leveraged as part of the federal government’s response to the global financial crisis.

Other opportunities identified by Hurley as practical and tangible ways to help Australia transition to a digital future, including eliminating duplication of the telecommunications consumer protection framework when the proposed Australian Consumer Law comes into effect, building collaborative relationships to proactively address complaint handling and customer service issues, and encouraging collaboration between industry and government to tackle the difficult issues and to inspire ‘digital confidence’ among business and consumers.