[LINK] Not NBN, instead, NCP

[Tom Koltai]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: link-bounces at mailman1.anu.edu.au 
> [mailto:link-bounces at mailman1.anu.edu.au] On Behalf Of 
> stephen at melbpc.org.au
> Sent: Monday, 12 October 2009 9:16 PM
> To: link at anu.edu.au
> Subject: [LINK] Not NBN, instead, NCP
> 
> 
> This writer makes the sensible suggestion (to me) that counties don't 
> need a National Broadband Plan, instead, a National 
> Communications Plan.
> 
> Broadband Isn't Just the Web, It's Our Future
>
>www.businessweek.com/technology/content/oct2009/tc2009109_200019.htm
>October 12, 2009  By Stacey Higginbotham 
>

An excellent article. One that Australia needs to consider in the same
light.

i.e.: if we sell off all the spectrum to companies with large pockets
but no desire to roll-out the infrastructure, what hope will there ever
be of competition in the bush. The current 1.9/2.1 paired Ghz limited
spectrum auction is a start but at a per head of population (and not per
user) cost of 6 cents per khz it is still too expensive for the truly
innovative early entrepreneurs.

The guys that go out there and make it happen. E.g. the early internet
years.

The big companies NEVER make it happen. (OK - one exception in the last
twenty years - HSDPA from Telstra - clap.) They just follow and
steamroll the majority of the smaller ones.
Ocassionally companies like iinet, internode and TPG win escape the
steamroller, but they are just being deferred as the next victims of the
corporate club.
Vis AFACTS -v- iinet.

In the eighties and early nineties I was very very close to a large
diamond organisation that searched for diamonds all over Australia. When
they found them, they didn't mine them. They just kept extending the EA
leases.

"We don't actually want to mine any diamonds Tom" I was told.... "We
just don't want anyone else to find them and mine them because that
would decrease the value of our existing diamond holdings."

The iiNet case has ignored the fact that when Justin Milne was at
Telstra he told AFACTS to "sod off". Except I think he told them more
politely, but no less firmly.
Isn't that exactly what the iiNet case has been about for the last two
days?


Tom







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