That means that they now have unmetered access to iTunes downloads, Xbox demos and updates (but not paid-for movie downloads) and ABC iView and TiVo. That’s a pretty wide range of content right there. The TiVo partnership means that apparently 20 per cent of broadband users now have unmetered access to TiVo’s movie downloads. That’s a pretty good percentage, too.

The question now is whether or not a) current iiNet customers will be swayed to TiVo, or b) whether this would sway potential TiVo customers to iiNet. Share your thoughts in comments.

Here’s Telstra’s response to Conroy’s ultimatum for separation:

Telstra remains committed to working with Federal Government
September 15 2009 – Telstra Chief Executive Officer David Thodey today responded to the Federal Government’s proposed regulatory reform package.

“While we are disappointed the government has felt it necessary to introduce this legislation, Telstra remains committed to working with the government to find a solution that is in the best interests of the industry, the nation, Telstra and our shareholders,” Mr Thodey said.

“It is Telstra’s view that many aspects of this package are unnecessary and need never be implemented if a mutually acceptable outcome can be reached on the National Broadband Network.

“Telstra supports the Government’s NBN vision. We are willing to discuss options around separation.”

Telstra will carefully examine the package over the coming days, he said.

“At all times, our approach to regulatory reform and the NBN will continue to be driven first and foremost by the need to protect the interests of our shareholders,” Mr Thodey said.

The NBN has been given the strongest possible board and management focus, including the establishment of a dedicated Board sub-committee, chaired by the Chairman of the Board, Ms Catherine Livingstone, and an NBN engagement team, led by Group Managing Director Mr Geoff Booth.

Telstra has done a large amount of work to ensure we have the best possible understanding of the complex and challenging issues around separation and NBN.

“We are actively and constructively engaged with Government.” Mr Thodey said. “Much remains uncertain, but we will continue to provide updates whenever it is appropriate to do so.”

Naturally, Optus weighed in on the discussion:

Optus welcomes landmark decision on regulatory reform
Optus today welcomed the landmark decision by the Federal Government to reform the regulatory environment governing the Australian telecommunications sector.

“The Federal Government today made an important step in reforming the telecommunications sector with its proposed changes to the regulatory regime. It is a landmark decision that has the potential to change the entire telecommunications landscape forever, resulting in considerable benefits for all Australians,” Paul O’Sullivan, Optus Chief Executive said.

The Government’s draft legislation closely mirrors the model Optus put forward in its submission to the Government’s regulatory reform discussion paper on 3 June 2009. Optus has long advocated for a regulatory framework built around four key pillars including: structural separation; open access principles; cost-based pricing; and ACCC oversight.

Maha Krishnapillai, Optus Director Government and Corporate Affairs said, “We are encouraged by today’s announcement and believe that the proposed reforms will address many of the issues which have adversely impacted competition in the Australian telecommunications industry over the last 12 years. We look forward to examining the draft legislation in further detail over the coming weeks.”

“The Government has made its intentions clear. It is now up to the parliament, Telstra and the rest of the industry to ensure this long overdue reform becomes a reality,” Mr. O’Sullivan said.

As did iiNet:

iiNet Welcomes Telecommunications Regulatory Reform

15 September 2009 – iiNet, Australia’s third largest Internet Service Provider (ISP), has welcomed the Federal Government’s planned reforms to telecommunications regulations saying it will encourage competition and benefit customers.

While still examining the full detail of the reforms, iiNet’s Managing Director, Michael Malone, said requiring Telstra to separate and streamlining the competition regime were critical to the future of Australia’s telecommunications industry.

“The big winner from these reforms is the Australian consumer who will be able to gain access to fast, affordable and competitive broadband services,” Mr Malone said.

“It should provide greater certainty for the telecommunications industry and encourage investment, innovation and jobs.

“iiNet is well placed to continue our strong growth under the new world that will be created by the National Broadband Network and these regulatory reforms.

“We are a market leader in product innovation, customer service, content provision, backed by a strong brand, and will be able to compete on a truly open high speed network.”

So the question now is whether anybody cares? We probably won’t actually see any pricing reforms for a while yet, and while it’s always nice to see Telstra slapped around a bit (especially after the arrogant way Trujillo ran the company), what we really want to see is cheaper broadband (and ADSL2+ at my local exchange for ISPs that aren’t Telstra)…

[Conroy vs Telstra on Giz]

The device, manufactured by Belkin, features your regular modem/router bits, including support for 802.11n, 4 ethernet ports on the back and a couple of USB charging ports. It’s a pretty stylish piece of kit, with lots of fingerprint friendly black glass. But the big selling point is the inclusion of a phone handset for VoIP calls.

You can get up to five additional DECT handsets, and BoB can support up to three separate phone lines as well, making it a great option for small businesses.

The base unit will set you back $369 outright including a single handset, or you can get it for 269 if you sign up for one of iiNet’s 24-month BoB contracts. Additional handsets cost $69 each, although if you happen to have a compatible DECT phone already, you should be able to pair it with BoB.

BoB (which apparently stands for “Broadband in a Box”, although it’s one of the weakest acronyms I’ve ever seen), is also OS agnostic, working with Mac, Linux and Windows flavours of software. It sounds like a pretty complete solution, so long as you’re with iiNet, that is.

[iiNet via Lifehacker]

Here are some of the key quotes from the releases:

“This is the best of all possible outcomes and will ensure Australians have access to fast, affordable and competitive broadband. In terms of the key criteria we were looking for in a National Broadband Network – open access, structural separation, fixing backhaul ‘black spots’ and regulatory reform – the Government has delivered.” — Michael Malone, iiNet

“We look forward to having constructive discussions with the Government at the earliest opportunity. There is a lot to absorb in the Government’s announcement and we will consider every aspect in detail.Telstra supports the Government’s objectives of investment in world-leading broadband infrastructure, an innovative telecommunications sector and healthy competition that provides real choice for customers.” — Donald McGauchie, Telstra

“I’m gobsmacked – in a good way! If they do what they promise, they’ve actually got it right and Australia might just turn into a broadband front-runner country 10 years from now. It is a great relief that the Government has abandoned the Fibre to the Node (FTTN) delivery model which would have cost it $4.7 billion without cutting the mustard. Rather than squander its cash on FTTN or do nothing, it has the guts to build a Fibre to the Home network that will cost more than $40 billion.” — Simoon Hackett, Internode

“The decisions taken today are truly historic, and are clearly decisions that only a confident and decisive Government could take. We are very pleased that these processes are underway and look forward to contributing.” — Ravi Bhatia, Primus

See? Lovefest. All for a solution that’s going to take 8 years to build.

iiNet Withdraws from Federal Internet Filtering Trial

23 March 2009 – iiNet, Australia’s third largest Internet Service Provider, has advised the Federal Government that it is withdrawing from the proposed internet filtering trial.

iiNet’s Managing Director, Michael Malone, says they only agreed to participate in the trial to demonstrate that the policy was fundamentally flawed, a waste of taxpayers’ money and would not work.

Mr Malone said after drawn-out negotiations with the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (DBCDE), it was clear that an agreement could not be reached.

He cites constant changes in the policy, confused explanations of the purpose of the trial and recent revelations regarding the “blacklist” as clear indications that the trial is unnecessary.

“We are not able to reconcile participation in the trial with our corporate social responsibility, our customer service objectives and our public position on censorship,” says Mr. Malone.

“It became increasingly clear that the trial was not simply about restricting child pornography or other such illegal material, but a much wider range of issues including what the Government simply describes as “unwanted material” without an explanation of what that includes.

“Everyone is repulsed by, and opposed to, child pornography but this trial and policy is not the solution or even about that.

“In reality, the vast majority of online child pornography activity does not appear on public websites but is distributed over peer-to-peer networks which are not and cannot be captured by this trial or policy.”

Mr Malone said the Government should re-think its approach and urgently needs to make clear what its intentions are in respect of internet censorship, this lack of communication from government and bureaucracy is rightly seen as underhand and unsavory and is now attracting international dismay as well as Australian disgust.

Sadly, the truth looks like Senator Conroy and his fellow politicians are so blinded by their tagline “Keep kids safe” that they refuse to follow logic, reason, or common sense. It’s a scary, scary thought.

[iiNet]

[APC]

If you’re going to continue to offer more and more awesome content in your unmetered Freezone, including Xbox Live, ABC’s iView and iTunes downloads, I’m REALLY going to need you to launch ADSL2+ at my local exchange so I can switch. Seriously, now that you’ve added Super 14 rugby to your Freezone, I’m so frustrated at the crappy deal I’m forced into putting up with because I need ADSL2+ that I’m probably going to have kick something just to stay sane.I mean, considering that I would get – for no extra charge – full Fox Sports coverage of the Aussie Super 14 matches, up to 4 on demand games each round and an unmetered quota for all games, I reckon I could almost give up the Fox Sports package on Foxtel – I mean, I only get it for the Super 14…

Grrrr. I’m so frustrated! My local exchange is like watching the Waratahs implode on their way to the finals year after year. In any case, I envy rugby fans already on iiNet, that’s for sure.

[iiNet Freezone - Thanks Adam!]

In any case, it’s happening now, and as Gus over at Lifehacker points out, don’t actually think that you’ll see unmetered iTunes downloads over the wireless network – that won’t ever happen!

[iiNet via Lifehacker]

The deal’s only available to people who got sent the email though, as there’s a special code you’ll need to enter to be eligible. So you should probably check that old hotmail account you never use anymore, just in case…

[iiNet - Thanks Stephen!]

Considering BigPond isn’t partaking, it begs the question – how can any results be considered accurate if the country’s largest ISP wasn’t a part of the trials? Isn’t it time for Conroy to give up on this whole farce?

If you haven’t already, sign the GetUp petition here.