[LINK] Benefits of a digital economy enabled by the National Broadband Network

[Richard Chirgwin]

  On 18/09/10 12:13 PM, George Bray wrote:
> There's lots of discussion about the value of the NBN these days,
> particularly with calls for analyses of the financial and social
> impacts. Here's some articles and papers that bring additional
> perspective to the discussion.
>
> Is it even possible to construct an accurate analysis of the impacts
> of applications and services that don't exist yet?
No, it isn't.

Most of the people loudly demanding a cost-benefit analysis know damn 
well that they're asking for the impossible.

The politics has become impossibly depressing: the Libs don't want the 
NBN because (a) it's a Labor project and (b) they've imported the 
American "government must do nothing" ideology.

One thing that mystifies me is that nobody has tried to quantify the 
potential value of the NBN to non-Internet wholesale markets, of which 
there are many. But there's no longer any point trying to inject sanity 
into the debate: it's so debased by both sides of politics that any 
statement, even if it's boringly factual, is denounced as being a 
political marker. It's as if your opinion on the existence of gravity 
were somehow related to your political alignment.

<sigh>

Thanks for the links, by the way.

RC
> George
>
> Cost Benefit Delusion of the NBN
> <http://blogs.crikey.com.au/pollytics/2010/09/17/cost-benefit-delusions-of-the-nbn/>
>
> Broadband and the Missing Cost-Benefit Analysis
> <http://economics.com.au/?p=6220>
>
> Benefits of a digital economy enabled by the National Broadband Network
> <http://www.dbcde.gov.au/digital_economy/benefits_of_digital_economy_from_nbn>
>
> Value of the NBN for Teleworking
> PDF 613KB<http://www.dbcde.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/130158/ImpactsofteleworkingundertheNBN.pdf>
>
> The NBN will be a potential catalyst for growth in teleworking.
>
> The ubiquity and capacity of the NBN technology mean that there will
> be greater certainty of the technological capacity of teleworkers.
> This reduces uncertainty about whether an employee can retain their
> productivity levels when working from home. This also provides greater
> remote monitoring certainty to employers, as worker output differences
> more clearly relate to productivity differences.
>
> The NBN will serve as an important enabler through the other
> technological services it unlocks. For example, high-quality
> videoconferencing that is available with the high speeds and bandwidth
> and lower latency of the NBN will improve connectivity with remote
> workers. Collaborative workplaces with shared desktop viewing and
> other capabilities are also more readily available, which can be
> utilised between business offices and with teleworkers.
>
> The wide range of potential applications may mean that scope for
> teleworking is increased. Teleworking is presently viable in
> occupations that are predominantly desk-based, however service
> industries have relied upon face-to-face interaction, while many ‘blue
> collar’ industries have historically been location-specific, and these
> factors have limited the potential for teleworking. The NBN may unlock
> new applications and business models that make some of these roles
> amenable to teleworking.
>
>
> Financial and externality impacts of high-speed broadband for Telehealth
> PDF 853KB<http://www.dbcde.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/130159/Financialandexternalityimpactsofhigh-speedbroadbandfortelehealth-311.pdf>
>
> Extract from exec summary:
>
> There are four main components of tele-health.
> ■	Real time (or synchronous) tele-health involves “live” consultations
> in a wide range of specialities ranging from dermatology and
> cardiology to psychiatry. Consultations may occur between medical
> professionals and patients, or among medical professionals only (for
> example, a GP and a specialist).
> ■	Store and Forward (or asynchronous) tele-health is the transmission
> of medical data – such as echocardiograms (ECGs), photographs of skin
> lesions, blood glucose levels, and x-rays – for remote diagnosis.
> ■	Tele-homecare (or remote monitoring is the transmission of medical
> data for disease and injury management and prevention. Examples
> include monitoring of patients undergoing dialysis, remote foetal
> monitoring, or support and care to elderly people with chronic
> conditions living at home.
> ■	Tele-education is the transmission of medical information, either
> for the training of health professionals or to assist members of the
> public to self-manage their health (including tele-triage).
>
>
> --
> George Bray, Canberra, Australia. http://geobray.com
>
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