The government’s announced that it’s given up on the original form of its national broadband network scheme, and is now proposing “a new public/private company to build a national network”. They’ve also taken a significant step up in the proposed technology, basing it on “fibre to the home” covering 90% of the population, with the remainder to be covered through wireless and satellite technology.
There’s a discussion paper here on the regulatory reforms that might be necessary.
My initial take is that this might just undo the historic stuff-up of creating and then selling, intact, the Telstra behemoth – a stuff-up that involved both the Hawke-Keating and the Howard governments. Then again, if takeup of wireless broadband continues at its present rate, it might be Australia’s biggest-ever white elephant.
ELSEWHERE: Paul Budde at New Matilda likes the announcement, noting the implications for e-health, amongst other things. The Whirlpool forums are running overtime, and seem mostly enthused. Joshua Gans “fell off his chair in delight”.
Update: [by Mark] A round up of blog reaction at Polliegraph and Swinburne academic Jock Given has an interesting historical perspective at Inside Story.