[LINK] NBN widening digital divide in bush

[Richard Chirgwin]

On 14/07/11 3:20 PM, David Boxall wrote:
> On 13/07/2011 1:15 PM, Birch, Jim wrote:
>> ...  It doesn't make economic sense to take a fibre to every
>> anthill in central Australia.  There's a cost/benefit trade off. ...
> Are economic considerations the most important? What was the cost
> benefit trade off in laying copper to so many remote locations? Was cost
> benefit analysis even done?
>
> If the anthill has copper, it must eventually get fibre. The fibre
> network should then continue growing to ever more remote places.
>
David,

There still remain many small places without copper. They are connected 
via Telstra Digital Radio Concentrators for telephones - and the only 
Internet access option is satellite.

These communities are a couple of hundred individuals living hundreds of 
km from the nearest Telstra exchange. However much we might like it, I 
can't see fibre reaching locations like that.

RC