#ausvotes

ALP National Broadband Policy

• Summary

  Australia has one of the slowest broadband services in the developed world. Our economic future, and also our jobs and productivity of the future will rely heavily on the rapid broadband service provided by the NBN. Speeds of up to 100MBPS will be achieved in 93% of Australia with 12MBPS attributed to the remaining 7%. These speeds are 20-100 times faster than present capabilities. Regional and rural areas will join in this economic prosperity as they too are for the first time connected to the national and international network. 25 000 jobs will be created and maintained every year through the operation of the NBN.

  
  

  More

  The ALP will spend $43bn over 8 years to build the largest infrastructure project in Australian history; the National Broadband Network. This project will provide optical fibre to 93% off Australian households, which will provide broadband speeds of 100MBPS. Many achieve a mere 1MBPS today. The remaining 7% of Australia will receive next generation wireless (4%) and satellite (3%) technology components of the NBN scheme that will also deliver high speed broadband at up to 12 MBPS or 20 times their present speed.

  
  

  Rural and regional Australia will receive extensive benefit from the NBN. It will encompass over 1000 cities and towns across Australia, and over 6000km of new optical fibre will be rolled out in regional Australia. Indeed already 1200 km has already been laid, with the rolling out of optical fibre creating about 1000 new fulltime jobs.

  
  

  Stage 1 of the NBN has already begun in Tasmania. With Stage 2 & 3 also to focus on Tasmania, Primus, Internode and iiNet have contracted to deliver NBN services there. Later in 2010 the rollout will continue with the First Release sites in a number of mainland areas such as Far North Queensland, the New England area of New South Wales, and the South Coast of New South Wales. Second Release sites will commence construction in April 2011.

  
  

  The NBN will ensure that our modern economy can compete in the Asian Pacific region with Japan Korea and Singapore. It will be a driver of economic growth in the same way that railroads and automobiles were in the past.

  
  

  While still requiring ACCC approval, shareholder approval and parliamentary approval, the ALP has come to an agreement in principle with Telstra already. A progressive transition from Telstra’s copper network will allow installation of NBN optical fibre. Structural separation will be provided by the use of ducts and backhaul infrastructure. Given the commercial consequences of the agreement, further detail is unable to be revealed at present.