[AusNOG] Aus Industry Congratulations Email - Are you Serious???

[Ross Wheeler]

On Mon, 26 Sep 2016, chrismacko80 wrote:

> 1. The list is incomplete, there's many ISP's and hosting firms that
> haven't submitted grant funding, the list may need to be expanded, and
> it's currently over $80m!!! Is there a secondary round for ISP's that
> missed it on the first round?

The list is complete. It was clearly stated as a "one time, one-off" 
grant, with a slew of conditions attached. You had to have a DRIP 
submitted and accepted (or already be fully complient); you had to make 
the application on the available paperwork and within the application 
window (which was February this year IIRC); you had to have a registered 
accountant submit a statement of your declared turnover;

There were probably other conditions I don't recall.


> 2. Seriously, can we show our politicians in future that we can work
> collaboratively and show that we can deliver a solution together at a
> lower cost of ownership and provide software that we can then

I doubt it. Back in the early and mid 1990s, the (then, quite few) ISPs 
got along pretty well and would pitch in and help each other. By the end 
of the 90's it was in decline, by 2005 it was pretty much "each man for 
himself" and it has by and large been a "race to the bottom" ever since.

There are exceptions, but there are few.


> 3. I'm sure given an opportunity to collaborate on the software
> required to deliver a joint solution, we'd be able to deliver this at
> a fraction of the cost, even if we housed this within 2 or 3
> government data centres that were built specifically for this purpose
> and well less than one third the cost including 2 or 3 data centres
> for this specific purpose.

Who cares? The government isn't hosting the data, and isn't paying for the 
hosting of the data. That's been passed to "the industry". The grant was 
never intended (so we're told) to fully compensate "the industry" for its 
costs, rather "contribute towards" the cost of implementation. Industry 
is expected to (and will have to) wear the costs (or pass them on to 
consumers in full or in part, with whatever problems that causes. It'll be 
"the industry" being the bad guys, the public will not see the price rises 
as being "caused by government". Apart from which <tongue in cheek> 
everyone knows that ISPs and Telcos are filthy rich, rolling in money and 
more than able to absorb any trivial costs involved - since we already 
store all that data anyway </tongue in cheek>


> 4. On a seperate topic, how do you go about requesting access to data
> under this legislation - even employees under Telstra aren't aware
> what to do in this regard.

"You" don't.
I suggest you read the legislation, it "quite clearly" (hahaha) sets out 
what we must do, who can access the data, and how.

R.