The NBN got a big push forward this week, with our elected officials staying back late and coming in early on Monday to push NBN legislation through parliament. Here’s what went down:
• First, the Senate stayed back late on Friday night to push through NBN legislation, then Monday morning saw the House of Reps convene to try and get it through the Lower House. Despite the Oppositions protestations (and there were many), the Labor government managed to get it through, with amendments ensuring that the entry level wholesale cost will be consistent across the country within the delivery technology. Of course, how retailers sell is another matter entirely. [Gizmodo]
• NBNCo is doing a shithouse job of selling the message of its product. There’s a few reasons how they’re failing, and Paul Budde had an excellent account of where they were falling down in Business Spectator. [Gizmodo]
• The good news is that NBNCo knows they have an education problem, and are addressing it. They’re launching a public education campaign to try and convince everyone that the network will actually be useful to the country. It’s not going to convince all the haters, but hopefully some of the fence sitters may learn that a dedicated national fibre network is a good thing. [News]
• There might be a labour shortage effecting the NBN rollout in Queensland, given the devastation there earlier this year. NBNCo boss Mike Quigley knows it might be an issue, but can’t say how big an issue until they actually try and start building it. [Australian IT]
• Optus is planning on wholesaling the NBN’s wholesale to smaller ISPs who want to retail internet services. Or something. Asked how Optus would survive without its wholesale business, a representative from the Telco said they’d sell the NBN wholesale package with a few bonuses to smaller ISPs. Business model FTW. [ZDNet]
• ISPs wanting volume discounts from NBNCo can shove off. Quigley promised they have no plans to offer bulk discounts to bigger ISPs. [CRN]
• Opposition Communications Minister malcolm Turnbull has confirmed that the legislation put through parliament this week will make cancelling the NBN extremely difficult – almost impossible even – should the Liberal party come to power at the next election. He also (finally) outlined the Opposition’s policy for broadband – a cost benefit analysis and then most likely FTTN connections in most places depending on the results. [ZDNet]
• Oh Noes! More bandwidth means more internet nasties! We’re doomed! [ARN]
• AAPT boss Paul Broad reckons the NBN legislation passed through parliament is anti-competitive and will ultimately hurt the industry. time will tell. [Business Spectator]
• NBNCo has kicked the original construction companies who tendered to build the NBN due to high costs. They’re now looking at the idea of getting one company to build the whole thing to begin with, while the ACCC checks to see if the construction companies involved were in cahoots to extort NBN Co. [Australian IT]