Government`s Digital Nation Could still be a dream...

The Rudd Government's Communications Minister, Stephen Conroy, announced yesterday that it was delaying awarding the $4.7 billion contract to build a national broadband network until an expert panel made a decision.

Whatever the outcome or delay, it is to be hoped that the expert panel will put as much importance on what is going on inside our homes as they do the outside.

Don't get me wrong. Australia has lingered in the broadband remedial class for far too long - slow speeds and high prices in comparison to most other developed countries.

A world class, cost effective broadband system is absolutely essential if Australia is to remain a smart, competitive and entrepreneurial country.

But what is often missed in the broadband debate is how these fast and super fast (once optic fibre enters the equation) networks are going to be used once they hit the humble Australian home.

The appliances and technological applications that can make our homes energy and water efficient, work sites, entertainment hubs, etc, are already here and getting cheaper by the week.

Unfortunately most homes do not have the infrastructure to handle the sort of technology that fast broadband can offer.

This needs to be addressed at the same time as we put a broadband system in place. If not the Prime Minister's dream of a 'digital nation' will remain just that.

John Fennell
Wednesday, March 12, 2008