[AusNOG] AAB Statement

[James Spenceley]

Hi Paul,


> I found it really interesting that in most places in the press where this 
> alternative-NBN was reported, the vast majority of the comments were in favour of the 
> previous NBN.
> In other articles which are pro-NBN, the vast majority of the comments underneath are 
> anti-NBN. You can't win either way, the most vocal are those that disagree.

That is what I've come to understand in the last few days :-)

> 
> 
> I for one think it is a really intriguing idea, very different from anything proposed 
> before.
> 
> Please let me know if I've paraphrased the proposal correctly - you want to make the 
> spectrum available for a reasonably-good wireless network that reaches almost 
> everywhere (satellite for the rest)  - a broadband fixed wireless 
> safety-net-of-last-resort - providing ubiquity, but not extremely high speed.

Bingo, with the only other major point being that we need to do that now and fast, so that those who don't have a broadband service (or a cost effective one) can get it.


> Leave 
> the commercial market to provide better connectivity and compete with this new 
> wireless network however they choose - DSL, cable, higher-speed fixed and mobile 
> wireless, fibre, just as happens now. And because the wireless network isn't trying to 
> provide the fastest speeds, and doesn't have to serve every house but only those that 
> can't get anything else, it shouldn't have the scalability problems that most 
> commentators point to when comparing wireless with fibre - the end-point density in 
> urban areas is actually relatively low on average, only having to serve isolated 
> clusters, so you don't need too many towers.
> Is this right?

Correct, nicely paraphrased :-)

The other main point of the proposal is that there is no need to burn all our bridges and rip out any form of competitive network that exists today, that is just crazy wasteful and will ruin any form of alternative access (or cheaper access) if the market so wants.

What I have come to understand in the last few days, is that I am incredibly scared of a government controlled monopoly on every service (phone, internet, paytv etc) to every house in the country. Couple that with NO visible business plan, NO end user pricing, NO treasure costing , NO industry consultation on the plan itself but with a plan to rip out any form of competitive network, I'm starting to think we missed something here and just focused on how 'cool' it'll be to have Gbps to every house. 

No government anywhere has proposed such a thing.

If the NBN is really that good and is really that cost effective, then let it compete with copper base and HFC/FTTN based services, If people all *really* need 1gbps and will pay for it, then the market will decide and those 'inferior' services will die all on their own. 


> 
> Paul.


--
James