[LINK] NBN Broadband Plan

[Ash Nallawalla]

> From: Stilgherrian

> On 08/01/2010, at 10:01 AM, stephen at melbpc.org.au wrote:
> > "Although the Governments recent announcement is welcomed, let,s hope
> > Labor doesn,t follow its usual path of making and breaking promises,"
> > Dr Sharman Stone, Federal Member for Murray said.
> >
> > "Labor,s $43 billion Broadband package promised to bring faster
> > internet access to every corner of Australia, but then the fine print
read
> > that the high speeds would not be extended to towns of less than 1,000
> > people."
> 
> It promised no such thing, Dr Stone. Indeed, the key debate about the
> NBN for the last few years has been about what percentage of the
> population -- 90%, 95%, 98% etc -- would be reached by which "fast"
> speeds -- 12Mb/sec, 100Mb/sec etc.

I spent the last few days (hence not at CES, Jan) exploring the countryside
from Ballarat, Horsham, Bordertown, Adelaide, Goolwa, Murray Mouth, Victor
Harbor, Hahndorf, Barossa Valley (well, it was along the route), Renmark,
Mildura, Ouyen, via small towns such as Tempy, Lascelles, Birchip, Donald,
St Arnaud, and Avoca. A lot of these places have fewer than 1000 people.
Some might have less than 100 on a good day.

I noticed the lack of cable but lots of satellite dishes on rural homes -
some with two Ku-band dishes and the occasional C-band one. Internode has
ADSL coverage through most of SA -
http://www.internode.on.net/about/our_network/. There are lots of Telstra
ADSL1 exchanges in country Victoria but not enough user reports to generate
heat maps - http://www.adsl2exchanges.com.au/heatmap-state.php?State=VIC.

However, the sight of numerous dry paddocks in the Mallee and Wimmera with
no sign of recent growth or harvest (or animals) was as depressing as the
numerous closed businesses in the main streets. Where there was more than
one pub in town, only one seemed to be functional. Not a single live Mallee
bull was sighted.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mallee_Bull_Birchip.jpg :)

I think that people in many country towns and rural homesteads might not be
able to afford high speed broadband, even if it reaches them.

Ash