[LINK] NBN service accessibility [Was: web: The NBN satellite Malcolm Turnbull never wanted prepares for liftoff]

[JanW]

At 09:47 AM 12/09/2015, Tom Worthington you wrote:
>The NBN is installing fiber in urban areas, thus making the Internet 
>relatively slower in remote area.
>
>> ... NBN does disadvantage rural users *relatively* ... 

I reckon there is something important in this.

Just as dominant technology companies design for their dominant markets -- e.g. Microsoft's assumption of unlimited data for updating Win10 constantly without a controlled update for home consumers -- the same happens with other components of the communications ecosphere. 

Websites used to design for lowest common denominator to a degree - or at least a mid-level. Remember when people shut off images entirely because downloads on dial-up lines were just too slow to make the experience at all worthwhile to get the info? And designers worth their salt tried to compress images as much as possible to not lose their audience? 

I don't think that happens any more. Bloated websites, dragging stuff from all over the place without user knowledge (unless you turn off scripts and get a list showing what is going on behind the scenes), autoplay videos and default auto-next-play videos (Youtube's latest stunt) -- designers aren't thinking any more. They're piling on -- because they can.

So when you combine an assumption of connectivity levels it's just going to get worse -- relatively -- so that those without the expected levels will once again be shut out of full participation.

Jan


I write books. http://janwhitaker.com/?page_id=8

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