Broadband News

Thu, 18th Nov 2010

Coalition seeks to gag Conroy, NBN debate

The Senate has demanded Communications Minister Stephen Conroy table further documents related to the National Broadband Network, including a complete version of the 'Red Book' departmental advice to the incoming government relating to the project.

Source: iTWire

ACMA: Australians moving away from fixed-line phones

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has released research showing a rapid rise in the number of people without fixed-line phones at home.

Source: ARN

Broadband beats buses in ideal suburbs

Australians value access to the internet over public transport links and schools in their ideal suburb, new research shows.

Source: ZDNet Australia

NBN plan mutiny could lead to Senate delay

Opposition communications spokesman Malcolm Turnbull has all but called on the Senate to delay voting on the Telstra split bill until after the Government releases NBN Co's business plan.

Source: iTnews Australia

PM vows to put fine tooth comb through NBN

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has promised to put a fine tooth comb through the business case for the $43 billion national broadband network before it is publicly released.

Source: Computerworld

Conroy at risk of being in contempt

Stephen Conroy risks being found in contempt after flouting its order to produce the business case into his National Broadband Network.

Source: Australian IT

Turnbull's Transparency Bill fails to pass

The NBN oversight Bill proposed by Shadow Communications Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, has failed to pass in the House of Representatives.

Source: ARN

Gillard snubs Senate order on NBN

Prime Minister Julia Gillard is defying a Senate order for the government to immediately release the business case for the $43 billion national broadband network (NBN).

Source: SMH

Conroy, 'poo or get off the pot': Oakeshott

The NBN was one of the reasons Independent MP Rob Oakeshott sided with Labor. Now he sees the Coalition's position has changed and he's concerned about the lack of reliable information from the government.

Source: ZDNet Australia

VHA boosts tower links for mobile broadband

Vodafone Hutchison Australia (VHA) plans to upgrade its backhaul capacity to base stations across Australia to cater for growing mobile broadband traffic.

Source: iTnews Australia

NBN cost blowout in new housing projects

The government is looking at measures to avoid a blowout in the cost of taking the National Broadband Network to new housing estates.

Source: Australian IT

Wed, 17th Nov 2010

Release of Telstra-NBN agreement in doubt

Telstra has cast fresh doubts over the anticipated release of its $11 billion heads of agreement with NBN Co in time for the telco's annual general meeting on Friday.

Source: iTnews Australia

Photos: Conroy enjoying himself at NBN launch

Last week, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy attended an event held by Nextgen Networks in Mulgrave, Victoria, to mark the halfway point in the completion of the National Broadband Network Regional Backbone Blackspots Program, which is seeing fibre rolled out in remote locations around Australia.

Source: Delimiter

Internode revamps broadband plans after Telstra negotiations

Internet service provider, Internode, has revamped its ADSL broadband plans to make them all run at ADSL 2+ speeds after protracted negotiations with Telstra wholesale.

Source: ARN

Govt to force NBN Co, smart grid alliance?

The NSW Government is mulling action to force reticent energy providers to lay smart metering networks when trenches are dug for the National Broadband Network (NBN).

Source: ZDNet Australia

Vodafone admits on 3G: we could have been smarter

Vodafone Hutchison Australia has admitted it responded poorly to customer concerns over slow download speeds on its 3G smartphone and mobile broadband services.

Source: SMH

Greens, independents demand NBN Co business plan

The Greens and key independent MPs have requested that Communications Minister Stephen Conroy table the business plan which has been delivered to the Government by NBN Co.

Source: Delimiter

Unions seek NBN wage and job deals

Unions are preparing to serve claims for annual pay rises of 5 per cent - 15 per cent over three years - on major contractors engaged in the NBN rollout.

Source: Australian IT

Gillard confirms no NBN Co business plan till December

The Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, has confirmed NBN Co's business plan will not be released until after Parliament has finished for 2010.

Source: ARN

Tue, 16th Nov 2010

Telstra separation passes lower house

Draft laws which will pave the way for the rollout of the NBN through the structural separation of Telstra, have passed the lower house of parliament.

Source: SMH

ISP filter online in 2013

Labor's controversial mandatory internet filter scheme could be delayed until 2013, when the next federal election is due.

Source: Australian IT

Official: ACTA deal means no law change for Australia

Participants in the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) negotiations announced today that they have finalised the text of the Agreement, after resolving the few issues that remained outstanding after the final round of negotiations in Tokyo.

Source: iTnews Australia

NBN Co's POI good for the little guys

Following strong opposition to the National Broadband Network Company's (NBN Co's) proposed points of interconnect (POI) for the network from the country's biggest telcos, a number of small ISPs have welcomed the model.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Turnbull telco reform changes defeated

House independents have voted with the Government to defeat proposed ammendments to telecommunications reforms put forward by shadow communications spokesman Malcolm Turnbull.

Source: iTWire

Cisco and NBN Co sign $9.5 million datacentre deal

The company responsible for building the National Broadband Network, NBN Co, has picked global tech vendor, Cisco, to provide its datacentre equipment.

Source: ARN

Telcos lobby independents on NBN analysis

The Alliance for Affordable Broadband, a splinter group of telcos concerned about Labor's National Broadband Network project, has written a letter to federal independent and Green MPs backing Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull's legislation to inject more transparency into the project.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Greens seek release of NBN business plan

The Greens will try to force the Gillard government this week to produce the business plan for its $43 billion National Broadband Network.

Source: Australian IT

Productivity Commission cost-benefit analysis won't delay NBN rollout: Turnbull

A Productivity Commission cost-benefit analysis of the National Broadband Network would not delay the roll out of the national infrastructure project, according to Opposition communications minister, Malcolm Turnbull.

Source: Computerworld

Tasmania readies NBN "opt-out" legislation

Tasmanian Premier David Bartlett will introduce legislation to state parliament today to put the onus on residents to "opt out" of receiving an NBN fibre connection to their homes.

Source: iTnews Australia

Rebel telco alliance backs Turnbull's NBN bill

The splinter group of telcos concerned about Labor's National Broadband Network project has backed Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbulll's legislation to inject more transparency into the project, in an open letter to the Federal independent and Green MPs who will ultimately decide its fate.

Source: iTWire