[LINK] Does NBN need a third satellite?

[Karl Auer]

On Wed, 2016-03-30 at 09:16 +1100, Tom Worthington wrote:
> It seems reasonable for taxpayers to buy a satellite for outback kids
> education, but not to subsidize Netflix's business model.
> 
> However, there is no harm in the satellites being used to download 
> movies, when there is capacity available. But I suggest priority 
> should be given to services such as health and education.

You make it sound so simple.

Trev is a healthy 30 year old; he works evenings at the local pub. He
loves watching old Chuck Norris movies during the day. "Why the hell
should I not be able to do that because next door's brats want to
videoconf with their poxy teacher for hours on end? Or because the
basket case three doors down is hogging everything just to talk to his
effing doctor? Piss off!"

You might think his needs and wants are less relevant than yours - you
being an educator and all - but they aren't.

IT IS NOT UP TO THE NETWORK OR THE GOVERNMENT TO DICTATE WHO CAN USE
THE NETWORK OR WHAT THE NETWORK IS TO BE USED FOR.

Also - define "education". Define "health care". If I were worried
about my own mental health and trying to find info on, say, depression,
I might browse the web in my search for answers and help. I might read
articles, download ebooks, watch relevant video clips. That's health
care too. Education? I am educating myself all the time as I read the
news, follow interesting links, stay up to date on topics relating to
my work etc. Makes me a better-informed participant in this democracy
and keeps me employable. All second-class activities?

Perhaps you mean "official" health care and "official" education -
sites and sources on some sort of QoS whitelist. In which case let me
echo Trev's pithy request above.

If the network is so crappy that such distinctions are needed, then the
network is broken and the solution is to fix it, not start deciding
from above which uses will be blessed and which not.

Regards, K.

-- 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Karl Auer (kauer at biplane.com.au)
http://www.biplane.com.au/kauer
http://twitter.com/kauer389

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