It never ceases to amaze me that people are surprised when the Market
doesn't deliver.
<http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/technology/opinion/the-internet-should-be-for-everyone/news-story/bee4824b592fc32417e281f9d89c5e07>
It was once hoped that the market would meet the demand for ubiquitous
broadband. Instead, as history showed, service providers only went
where it was profitable. Geographically challenged areas were left
largely unserved — especially in the bush.
It was never going to be viable to build a broadband network covering
such a large country, or to deliver the sort of internet speeds that
will arguably be needed in the coming decades if we focused entirely
on the direct financial cost. Such an approach completely ignores the
broader benefits to the economy and our social fabric through greater
productivity in rural, regional and remote communities, better
national education and health outcomes, and the increased viability of
non-metropolitan areas as alternative and sustainable places to live.
If we keep arguing about the costs over a four year budget cycle we
are unlikely to see a universally acceptable outcome. We need to be
building a futureproofed NBN that is seen as a critical long term
investment.
--
David Boxall | Dogs look up to us
| And cats look down on us
http://david.boxall.id.au | But pigs treat us as equals
--Winston Churchill
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