The Inside Track: New CVC model is NBN’s attempt to fix congestion issues
The new CVC pricing model announced by the NBN company this morning is at least partially an attempt to fix the peak hour congestion issues being experienced by early Fibre to the Node users. But only time will tell whether the attempt will succeed.
NBN gridlock: Peak hour congestion takes down FTTN for some
Some early adopter users of the Coalition's preferred Fibre to the Node technology on the National Broadband Network are seeing their broadband service slow to a crawl during peak hour periods, leading to questions about the fitness of model for permanent use on the NBN.
The election is over, and Fibre to the Node is here to stay
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has declared victory in the hard-fought Federal Election, in a move that ensures that the controversial Fibre to the Node technology which Turnbull personally favours is here to stay as a core part of the National Broadband Network.
Jason Clare says Turnbull ‘lied’ on copper NBN costs
The Opposition has accused Malcolm Turnbull of telling a "lie" with respect to the cost of upgrading Telstra's copper network to support Fibre to the Node technology on the National Broadband Network, at the time when the Prime Minister was the Shadow Communications Minister.
ACCC letting NBN descend into retail “market failure”, says Macquarie
Top-tier business telco Macquarie Telecom has accused the ACCC of having little idea of what is going on in the competitive NBN market, in the wake of comments made by the competition regulator that it was not planning re-examine its controversial decision to set the number of points of interconnect with the NBN at 121.
Critics flood Roxon with copies of Orwell’s ‘1984’
Half a dozen of Roxon’s fiercest critics have started mailing the Labor Senator copies of George Orwell’s iconic book 1984.
Cinema execs blame piracy for $20 ticket prices
If you've attended an Australian cinema recently, you'll be aware that $20 ticket prices are now a thing. If you just hit up a film every couple of weeks and avoid the cinema's high-priced junk food aisle (your writer habitually goes to Woolworths for some snacks beforehand), then this mark may not seem like such a huge deal. But if you throw a family into the mix, a night out at the movies can now seem a little too exorbitant for many. According to several cinema executives, one of the central reasons for the ongoing price increases is Internet piracy.
A cashless society and the five forms of mobile payment that will get us...
Visions of a cashless society started being portrayed from the 1950’s along with other aspects of a future waiting to be transformed by technology. That future has not yet arrived but it is now possible to exist without using cash on a daily basis. In fact, in a survey released this week, 25% of Australians claim not to use cash in a given month. In the US, 50% of Americans carry less than $20 in cash at any time.
Trainwreck interview: Finance Minister can’t answer basic NBN questions
Mathias Cormann has proven unable to answer basic questions about the NBN project or the Coalition's NBN policy, in a trainwreck interview yesterday morning which highlighted the Finance Minister's fundamental lack of NBN knowledge about the project, despite being one of the two ministers in charge of it.
Budde says Turnbull may announce FTTdp as NBN election policy
Veteran telco analyst Paul Budde this week said it was his view that the speed and cost advantages of the NBN's new Fibre to the Distribution Point (FTTdp) model might lead Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to announce it as the Coalition's new NBN policy ahead of this year's Federal Election.
Federal Parliament to hold first TPP hearing today
Federal Parliament is to commence its examination of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement (TPP) at a public hearing on Monday in Canberra.
“Enormous damage”: Turnbull changes tune on Snowden
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull appears to have completely changed his view on the revelations by Edward Snowden about US spying activities, telling the ABC yesterday that the NSA whistleblower had caused "enormous damage", despite having only six months ago described some of Snowden's revelations as having "very significant" implications.
Thank you for the platitudes, Sir Berners-Lee
Why doesn't Australia have enough confidence in ourselves without these father figures looking on? I just don't know.
NBN Co urges Tasmanians to subscribe to “surging” fixed wireless service
The NBN company this week said that its fixed wireless technology was "surging" in Tasmania, bringing fast Internet to many remote rural and regional communities, yet people may not know of its availability.
Vodafone urges voters to appeal for more mobile black spot funding
In a new campaign, Vodafone is calling on voters in regional seats to use social media to raise the "urgent need" for more funding for mobile black spots with their federal representatives and candidates ahead of the coming 2 July election.
Labor has 60 complaints from congested FTTN users who want their ADSL back
The Opposition said this week that it has received about 60 complaints from early adopters of the Government's preferred Fibre to the Node NBN rollout model, many of whom were receiving such poor service that they would prefer to have their original ADSL broadband back.
Satellite NBN a “great opportunity”, West Tasmanian MP claims
Tasmanian MP Brett Whiteley has told residents and businesses unhappy with the satellite broadband the NBN company is planning to deploy in his electorate in Western Tasmania that the infrastructure represents a "great opportunity" and they should stop pining for a Fibre to the Premise instead.
NBN Co estimates up to $10.5k for 300m of fibre in Newcastle CBD
The NBN company has given a Newcastle business an estimate ranging up to $9,500 to extend fibre cables 300 metres from the local streetside 'node' through existing Telstra pipes to their facility in the Newcastle CBD, as signals continue to grow that the Coalition's election estimates on fibre on demand costs were inaccurate.
FTTN still causing massive outages in Newcastle, says Labor
The Coalition's Fibre to the Node technology is still causing substantial problems for the Hunter Valley in New South Wales, Labor said today, with issues such as speeds slower than ADSL and substantial outages, even for residents who are not yet connected to the NBN.
Online GST push places an unfair burden on pop culture lovers
Will the long tail of the internet be docked by the fastidious imposition of GST to online purchases?
Attorney-General releases data retention grants list
The Federal Government has revealed the details of grants aimed to assist companies with the cost burden of compliance with data-retention legislation.
You talkin’ to me? Gerry Harvey’s one-man, online retail debate
Online retail promises or threatens to greatly change how Australians buy and sell over the next few years. However it works out, I hope that Gerry Harvey is around a fair bit longer, saying things to provoke and amuse us.
Truth: Turnbull’s innovation policy is the Hail Mary, slam dunk moment Australian technologists have...
Truly, the wind has changed in Canberra. It will be exhilarating to see just how far an unleashed Australian technology sector can go.
Data retention secrecy: AFP unable to disclose journo, MP metadata requests
The Australian Federal Police has refused to answer questions from a Federal Senator about whether it has recently accessed the metadata of journalists, politicians or political staffers, on the basis that doing so would be illegal under new Data Retention legislation.
Tech MPs Ed Husic + Wyatt Roy are engaged in a bipartisan beard conspiracy
In their day jobs, Assistant Minister for Innovation Wyatt Roy and Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Digital Innovation and Startups Ed Husic are supposed to be at each's necks, as they cover the same innovation portfolio from opposing sides of politics. But in practice the pair -- two of the most tech-focused MPs in Federal Parliament -- appear to be sometimes thinking along the same lines.
“They don’t get it”: Huston slams “Village Idiot” approach on Data Retention
Global Internet networks expert Geoff Huston this week said Australia was at risk of being positioned as the “Global Village Idiot” courtesy of the Data Retention legislation passed by the “bureaucrats” in the Government, alleging that none of the organisations in support of the policy actually understand technology.
ACT Govt to legalise ride-sharing
news The ACT Government this morning announced it would legalise and regulate ride-sharing services such as UberX, in the wake of a wide-ranging review...
“Systematic erosion of privacy”: Parliament launches surveillance review
The Federal Parliament has kicked off a review of and is seeking public submissions into a wide-reaching package of legislative reforms proposed by the Federal Government which the Greens have slammed as constituting a "systematic erosion of privacy" in Australia.
Qld Govt invests in open data, startups, STEM
The Queensland Government made a number of announcements yesterday revealing how the state is investing in a number of areas, including open data, innovative startups and STEM training for teachers.
Qld ploughs $24m into startups, teaches coding
Annastacia Palaszczuk’s Labor Government in Queensland yesterday revealed plans to throw $24 million at the state’s rapidly expanding startup sector, as part of a much wider $180 million package of reforms aimed at creating “jobs of the future”.
MegaUpload user data soon to be destroyed
MegaUpload has received a letter from the US Attorney informing the company that data uploaded by its users may be destroyed before the end of the week.
Data Retention requests almost tripled in 2015
Well, we knew Australia's law enforcement and government agencies were keen on accessing Australians' metadata, but until this week we didn't know quite how keen they were.
Labor proposes measures to boost Australian startups
The Labor opposition has announced a tranche of proposals to drive innovation across Australia – a move that is likely aimed to take the wind out of the government's sails with a big innovation announcement due on Monday.
FTTN rollout hits 50,000 homes in record time
The NBN company today revealed its Fibre to the Node infrastructure was ready to be used at some 50,000 homes, a milestone that it reached just 51 days after formally launching the infrastructure in September.
EFA board explodes with internal tensions
Four members of the board of Electronic Frontiers Australia have resigned in protest against what they described in a letter published this morning as "inaccuracies and irregularities" in the governance and financial affairs of the digital rights lobby group.
Pirate Party Australia feuds with parent
Thought it was only Australia’s major political parties which had ferocious internal political struggles? Think again. According to a lengthy blog post by Pirate Party Australia press officer Mozart Palmer, the local division of the Pirate Party is having branglings so bad with its European parent that some think it should secede altogether.
No plans for specific ASD intelligence inquiry, says Inspector-General
Australia's Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security has stated they have no plans to initiate a specific inquiry to examine allegations the Australian Signals Directorate had offered to share data about Australian citizens with foreign intelligence agencies, stating they believe current oversight of the ASD to be "sufficient".
Twitter must toe the troll line, says Gillard
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has singled out social network Twitter for not yet signing up to the Federal Government's new complaints handling process for major social networking sites, in a speech this morning pointing out that rival companies such as Facebook and Google had already done so.
Could industrial pipe cleaning speed up the CBN?
A technique for more rapidly cleaning up Telstra's clogged pits and pipes infrastructure reportedly could offer the National Broadband Network Company a significantly faster deployment mechanism with respect to the fibre components of its network rollout.
Budget 2016: Major Police IT projects win funding
Commonwealth law enforcement agencies such as the Australian Federal Police and Crimtrac have won big in this year's Federal Budget in terms of their IT infrastructure programs, with the Government greenlighting a series of major initiatives.
Home truths: Baxter points out how ridiculous NBN speed tiers truly are
One of Australia's most successful and experienced technology entrepreneurs has published an extraordinary analysis of the NBN company's technical model, highlighting the sheer stupidity of speed tiers on a fiber network which offers essentially unlimited speeds, as well as a wide range of other obvious problems.
Detailed analysis of NBN Co’s finances shows FTTP better value than FTTN
A researcher from Monash University has published a detailed analysis of the NBN company's costs which appears to show that Labor's technically superior Fibre to the Premises model represents better financial value than the Coalition's preferred Fibre to the Node technology only a scant few years after FTTP was deployed.
Coalition dumps satellite for FTTN NBN for Tasmania’s west coast
In a change from its previous commitment, the Coalition Government has announced that it will abandon the satellite broadband rollout on the west coast of Tasmania and instead deploy fibre to the node (FTTN) via the NBN.
ADFA hack a national security failure: expert
According to media reports, a single hacker from the Anonymous group, calling himself Darwinare, released online the names, birthdays and passwords of 20,000 staff and students from a university database at the Australian Defence Force Academy.
Fifield asks again: Which NBN policy do Australians have more confidence in?
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has again invited Australians to comment on whether they would prefer the Coalition or Labor versions of the National Broadband Network, defending the Coalition's Multi-Technology Mix from criticism by Labor and conservative commentator Andrew Bolt.
eHealth NSW hiring for yet another CIO
New South Wales' peak electronic health agency NSW eHealth has yet again advertised for a new chief information and chief executive officer, as the latest swing in a revolving door of senior executives.
Turnbull establishes advisory panel to boost Australian FinTech
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has established an expert advisory group aimed at making Australia the leading FinTech market in the Asia-Pacific region.
ABC unlocks 3G iview iPhone app, Android coming
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has modified its highly popular iview streaming video iPad app so that it will function on Apple iPhones, as well as unlocking the streaming ability for the app on 3G networks and revealing that it also has a separate version in the works for Google's rival Android platform.
Call to arms: Budde says FTTdp NBN needs our support
Independent telecommunications consultant Paul Budde has called for Australians to do more to ensure the rollout a "future-proof" NBN that includes a full-fibre network (including FTTdp) rather than the fibre and copper mix that is currently being promoted by government.
Australian Govt pledges action on Google tax avoidance
The Australian Government has outlined a series of new legislative initiatives with which it will attempt to protect its corporate tax base and rein in the tax minimisation strategies of corporations such as search giant Google, which expects to pay just $74,000 in corporate income tax for the 2011 calendar year in Australia, despite making an estimated $1 billion in local revenue.
Secret data retention docs display gross technical ineptitude
A treasure trove of previously confidential documents pertaining to the Government's data retention policy and released this week under Freedom of Information laws display an astonishing technical ineptitude on the part of the Attorney-General's Department with respect to the controversial project.
Fifield redacts large chunks of NBN info in ‘Blue Book’ release
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield today released a version of the 'Blue Book' incoming ministerial briefing he received from his department when he became Communications Minister, with the sections relating to the National Broadband Network having been heavily redacted.
ISP and content industries ask Govt to place piracy code on ice
Remember that pesky Internet piracy industry code? The one that Attorney-General George Brandis and then-Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull asked the ISP and content industries to develop, on pain of having one developed for them? Well, it appears as though the code has more or less been permanently shelved at this point.
Research suggests site blocking effective against piracy
New research based on data from the UK has suggested that site blocking is effective against online piracy of digital content.
Turnbull will abandon FTTN copper for FTTdp, says Clare
Malcolm Turnbull's Coalition Government will "ditch" its plans to deploy Fibre to the Node infrastructure over Telstra's copper network prior to the 2016 Election and instead focus on deploying fibre to the 'distribution point' or driveway of premises on the National Broadband Network, the Opposition said yesterday.
Government Departments lost in digital transformation
Less than 30 percent of Australian public sector officials are confident in their organisations’ ability to respond to digital trends, according to a Deloitte global survey published last week.
Turnbull to restore some NICTA/Data61 funding a year after it was chopped
According to Financial Review correspondent Phillip Coorey — currently travelling with now Prime Minister Turnbull on an extensive overseas trip stopping off at Germany — Turnbull is set to reinstate at least some of the funding chopped from NICTA.
Dallas Buyers Club won’t appeal piracy ruling, but may still seek large damages
In essence, what we’re seeing here is that Dallas Buyers Club and Marque Lawyers have decided to more or less accept Justice Perram’s ruling, but may be seeking to reword their approach to alleged copyright infringers to still target them for facilitating uploading of content online (as occurs in a BitTorrent situation, for example), rather than merely targeting them for downloading material.
Huawei thaws Coalition’s Chinese freeze
Huawei appears to have become increasingly successful at collaborating with senior figures in the Coalition, as the party gradually warms up to the Chinese manufacturer’s advances.
Turnbull blames IBM, ABS for Census website failure
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has put some the blame for the failure of the Census website on the shoulders of IBM, saying the measures the firm put in place for the functioning of the site were "inadequate". However, the ABS also came in for some flak.
Delimiter needs you: Help convince Conroy to open up about tech policy
In which I request the help of Delimiter's readership in convincing former Communications Minister Stephen Conroy to speak to me about technology policy.
No demand: Qantas dumps in-flight Internet
It's hard to be surprised by this move, given Qantas' on-again, off-again relationship with in-flight Internet access, but one can't help but be disappointed. Australian Business Traveller reports this morning that Australia's premiere airline has exited a trial of in-flight Internet running since March this year.
Government responds to ACS report on gender inequality in ICT
Responding to a report from the ACS, Assistant Minister for Science Karen Andrews has said the government recognises the importance of bringing more women into the ICT workforce to ensure the country remains competitive.
Fifield gets serious about VDSL cross-talk issue
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has registered a new regulation which will force Australia's broadband industry to develop its own industry code dealing with the thorny issue of cross-talk interference in the new generation of Fibre to the Node and Basement technologies.
Palmer United Senator Wang stumps Govt with basic IT sector questions
Palmer United Party Senator Dio (Zhenya) Wang has taken the Government to task over its handling of Australia’s ICT research and tech startup sector, in a fraught Senate session which appeared to illustrate how little the Government’s Senate spokesperson on the issue appeared to understand about the sector’s basic dynamics.
ACS releases ICT election “manifesto”
The Australian Computer Society (ACS), an advocacy group for Australia’s ICT professionals, has released what it is calling its "Federal Election Manifesto", setting out five key policy areas it says must be addressed if Australia is to "secure its economic future in the information age".
Labor deputy Plibersek backs data retention
Wondering how the MP widely considered likely to become the eventual next leader of the Australian Labor Party views the controversial data retention and surveillance issue? Wonder no more. Deputy Leader of the Opposition and former Health, Human Services and Housing Minister Tanya Plibersek is all for it.
For the tragedy of the NBN, Turnbull must go
The NBN stands out strongly amidst a slew of other issues in this Federal Election. Because in ten years, in twenty years -- in fifty years -- most of those other issues will have ceased to matter. But the problems with the NBN will remain. The only way to deal with these problems is to cut them off at the source: And vote against Malcolm Turnbull.
Iranian refugee goes from a ‘boat’ to working for Google Australia
Michael Ascharsobi arrived by boat in Australia as an asylum seeker. Now he works for Google and teaches at the University of Technology, Sydney. Not a bad effort -- not bad indeed.
News Ltd chief slams “scumbag” Internet pirates
The chief executive of the Australian division of publisher News Limited has given a major speech slamming what he described as "copyright kleptomaniacs" supporting "scumbag theft", arguing that Internet piracy was undermining the business case for the creation of great cultural works like never before.
Dogecoin co-founder an interesting Sydney chap
If you follow the crypto-currency scene (think Bitcoin and its many imitators), you might have noticed that the co-founder of one of the more outlandish currencies, Dogecoin, is an Australian. Jackson Palmer is a product marketing manager at Adobe, is based in Sydney, and is one of the key figures in the development of the good Doge. And, if you read this excellent online interview with Palmer produced by new Australian tech media outlet Techly, you'll find that he's also a man of many interesting opinions.
Telstra pays tiddlywinks for huge privacy breach
We can't help but suspect that the telco considers itself to have gotten off relatively scot-free from the debacle, paying an infringement notice of only $10,200 in relation to its contravention of an earlier direction on the issue by the Australian Communications and Media Authority.
Kim Dotcom may list Mega on ASX
Kim Dotcom expresses an interest in listing his new Mega business on the Australian Stock Exchange.
Turnbull announces digital boost for farming industry
The Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has announced three new initiatives lead by the National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) that are aimed to bring agriculture fully into the digital age.
Farce: AG’s Dept deletes FoI PDFs to improve “accessibility”
Representatives of the Federal Attorney-General's Department yesterday claimed the department had removed PDFs previously published on its website as part of its Freedom of Information disclosure log because they did not meet web "accessibility" guidelines and were hurting the website's overall accessibility rating.
Truth: A Labor Government will not roll back data retention
Those holding out hope that a Bill Shorten Labor administration would wind back the Orwellian Data Retention laws that Labor and the Coalition waved through Parliament last year should give up now: All indications are that Data Retention is here to stay.
‘Significant’ bidder interest for Sydney’s White Bay tech hub project
The transformation of Sydney’s iconic White Bay Power Station into a hub for tech startups has received 'significant interest' from a range of Australian and international contenders, according to the managers of the project.
NBN finally overhauls damaged CVC pricing model
The NBN company has finally overhauled its controversial 'Connectivity Virtual Circuit' (CVC) pricing model in an attempt to unlock further uptake of its infrastructure and reward retail Internet service providers who provide adequate broadband capacity to their customers.
Turnbull has “no-one else to blame”, Labor says on NBN cost blow-outs
The Opposition has blamed the up to $15 billion National Broadband Network funding blow-out revealed this morning on “poor decisions” and “wrong assumptions” made by Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull during his stewardship of the project, as the war of words between the major parties on the issue ramps up.
It’s time for transparency: Show us the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement
Only in Australia could the phrase “public briefing” mean that the meeting will be held behind closed doors, where journalists are not welcome.
Snowden, Manning ‘not whistleblowers’, claims Australia’s Attorney-General
Australia's Federal Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has made an extraordinary public statement that former CIA and NSA operative Edward Snowden and accused WikiLeaks collaborator Bradley Manning are not technically "whistleblowers", claiming that the information they had released publicly related to no wrongdoing by government agencies.
FoI activists mock Conroy’s big red button
Some of the more high-profile members of Australia’s Internet community are currently waging something of a war against Stephen Conroy's big red cybersafety button through filing Freedom of Information requests about it, presumably to demonstrate the Government’s ineptitude in implementing the project.
“No evidence” Aussie banks boycotting Apple Pay, claims RBA Governor
Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Glenn Stevens has claimed in a letter to a Labor MP that he has not seen "any evidence" that Australia's major banks are actively boycotting the Apple Pay mobile payments service, despite the fact that only American Express has signed up to the service in Australia.
With Bradley Manning convicted, what now for Julian Assange?
Bradley Manning’s conviction for espionage marks the closing stages in the US Army private’s personal battle. Yet for Julian Assange, founder of whistleblower website WikiLeaks and Australian Senate candidate, Manning is but a casualty in a much grander mission.
Photos: NBN Co leaves FTTN ‘micronode’ completely open to public access
The rollout of the Coalition's preferred Fibre to the Node technology has suffered another setback, with the revelation that the NBN company is leaving 'micronode' infrastructure completely open to public access, in a substantial security breach.
Govt seeks substantial boost to surveillance powers
The Federal Government today revealed a wide-reaching program to substantially reform its telecommunications interception and surveillance powers with the aim of bolstering the ability of law enforcement organisations to fight crime, including the introduction of a so-called "data retention" scheme that has attracted a great deal of controversy in Australia under the 'OzLog' banner.
WikiLeaks blockade based on Australia’s misinfo
VISA and Mastercard appear to still be relying on outdated comments by Australia's Federal Government to block the ability of Wikileaks to take donations.
NBN to hold HFC launch days before Election
The NBN company has revealed plans to hold a product launch just days before the upcoming Federal Election, in a move which has the potential to be interpreted as a breach of the Caretaker Conventions that govern the pre-election behaviour of public sector organisations.
Telstra still upgrading the HFC network it is selling to NBN Co
The nation's largest telco Telstra has revealed it will invest a significant amount of capital upgrading the HFC cable network it has contracted to sell to the NBN company, in a move which raises questions about the long-term future of the network.
ACMA proposes changes to spectrum rules to open up Internet of Things
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is proposing changes to spectrum rules in order to allow Internet of Things (IoT) devices to 'talk' to each other.
Turnbull partners with Pollenizer on data startup plan
An open data initiative named DataStart has been brought about by the collaboration of Malcolm Turnbull's Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet with an established Australian incubator, Pollenizer, to support data-driven innovation in Australia.
Tassie Govt criticises TPG over Basslink Internet issues
The Tasmanian Government has expressed its disappointment over service interruptions for customers of TPG's Internet service provider brands following the cutting of the Basslink cable.
Govt “determined” to stick “head deep in the sand” on tech policy, says Atlassian...
Much has been written about the general lack of understanding which Australia's political sector has when it comes to setting good technology policy. But few have put it as bluntly as Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes did last week in an interview with Business Insider.
Audit finds “weaknesses” in Turnbull’s Mobile Blackspot Programme
The Australian National Audit Office has released a report criticising aspects of the Federal Government’s handling of the Mobile Black Spot Programme.
Don’t sue us for search: Google’s unnecessary safe harbour appeal
A brief review of the history of Australian safe harbour legislation and recent ISP-related case laws in the US shows the best way to provide legal certainty for online intermediaries would be to introduce “fair use” exceptions alone. More safe harbour rules aren’t needed at this stage.
Qld Govt to legalise ride-booking services like Uber
The Queensland Government has announced it will overhaul the state's personalised transport industry regulations to create a more "level playing field" for ride-booking services like Uber.
Police want “indefinite” data retention
According to the ABC and a plethora of other media outlets reporting from parliamentary hearings yesterday Australia's friendly police want data retention laws extended to cover a period lasting ... forever.
Google Books wins ‘fair use’ but Australian copyright lags
Australia wants to foster innovation in a digital economy, but our copyright laws discourage businesses from investing in new technologies and make it harder for individuals to access the knowledge upon which innovation is based. Yesterday’s US decision in the Google Books case shows why US copyright law is much more supportive of innovation than ours.
NT Govt commits $186m to e-health record system
The Northern Territory has announced plans to spend $186 million on a jurisdiction-wide, integrated electronic health record system.
Australians unsure on Assange Govt support
Most Australians are unsure whether the Federal Government has provided enough support to Australian citizen and Internet activist Julian Assange during his ongoing legal battles in Europe, a new poll has shown, as the Greens continue to call for further assistance for the Wikileaks founder.
Gillard spends big on cyber-security; including new centre
Prime Minister Julia Gillard this morning announced that the Federal Government would spend $1.46 billion through to 2020 on strengthening what she described as its “cyber security” capabilities, including establishing a dedicated Australian Cyber Security Centre.
Web blocking technically impossible: iiNet reminds Govt of undisputed fact
National broadband provider iiNet has published a blog post reminding politicians of the fact undisputed by the global technology sector that the nature of the Internet makes it technically impossible to 'block' websites as currently being proposed by the Federal Government.
“Incredible” interest in NBN election issue, says Plibersek
Deputy Opposition Leader Tanya Plibersek this week said she had seen "incredible" interest in the National Broadband Network issue as she travelled around Australia on the election campaign trail, delivering Labor's message that Malcolm Turnbull had "dropped the ball" on the project.
Victorian Govt outlines new IT strategy
The Victorian Government has launched a new four-year strategy aimed to harness new digital technologies to "deliver modern services for the community".
Truth: Yes, the Coalition will try to sell off the NBN
The truth about an eventual sale of the NBN is that, for a Coalition Government, it is truly only a matter of timing and political position. It is not a matter of if: Only a matter of when.
Now banking data retention legislation is being developed
It's not enough, it seems, for Australia's law enforcement agencies to have unwarranted access to our telecommunications metadata. Now they're going after metadata held by banks and other financial services companies as well.
Govt going down “wrong” piracy path, says iiNet
National broadband provider iiNet has published a sharp blog post accusing the Federal Government of going down the "wrong path" with respect to its efforts to tackle Internet piracy, with the ISP exhorting its customers to become politically active in speaking to politicians from all parties about the issue.
Labor’s wrong, says NBN Co: We’re not replacing “substantial” copper
The NBN company has categorically rejected comments by Shadow Communications Minister Jason Clare that it is replacing “kilometers” of dilapidated copper cable with brand new copper to ensure the Fibre to the Node technology work, stating that it has not had to replace “substantial” copper yet.
1,375 votes lost in Western Australia: Ludlam recount stalled in bureaucracy
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has revealed it lost 1,375 votes during the recent Federal Election and will need to investigate the situation further before it can advise whether Greens Communications Spokesperson Scott Ludlam will keep his Senate seat or be replaced by the Palmer United Party.
Google didn’t quite destroy Aussie Wi-Fi data
Search giant Google this week revealed it has not yet deleted all of the payload data its Streetview cars had collected over the past several years as they brushed past Wi-Fi networks on their journeys around Australia, contrary to a statement in May 2011 that the data had been deleted.
Labor avoids all comment on that bothersome massive metadata expansion
Shadow Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has not responded to a request for basic information on whether Labor will support adding any of the 61 agencies who have applied to the bipartisan data retention scheme which passed Parliament in 2015.
Even Telstra is not complying with the Data Retention legislation
Given that the Government's Data Retention legislation passed the Parliament some seven months ago, you would expect that Attorney-General George Brandis and his merry band at the Attorney-General's Department would have at least gotten all their ducks in a row at the nation's biggest Telstra. I mean, it would be an embarassment of epic proportions if even Telstra -- a multi-billion-dollar telco giant with about a million IT professionals on hand to help it with the implementation -- couldn't get this thing done. Right? Right?
The sharp end of copyright policy: Village Roadshow will sue Internet pirates, block websites
Film distributor Village Roadshow has officially confirmed it will take legal action to both sue alleged Internet pirates and block websites which host pirated material, in moves which signal the start of the implementation phase for the Government’s controversial policies on Internet copyright infringement.
The ACCC has killed off Australia’s broadband competition
The ACCC’s move to allow TPG’s buyout of iiNet is an appalling decision which will finally complete the long-running, gradual death of actual competition in Australia’s broadband market. The tragedy of the situation is that the well-meaning regulator has nevertheless contributed to the process at several key points along the way.
Australia extends global Internet piracy lead
Australia has dramatically extended its lead over other countries when it comes to the levels of Australians pirating popular US television shows, according to new statistics released overnight by TorrentFreak, with the limited availability of such content in Australia believed to be driving the trend.
NBN calls for ‘experienced technicians’ to help with Tassie rollout
The NBN company has called for experienced telecoms technicians and workers to assist the network rollout in Tasmania during 2016 and beyond.
Elephant in the ballroom: Ignoring privacy in the Federal Election
In this election campaign the major parties are carefully dancing round an elephant in the ballroom. The elephant is big and a bit frightening. Its name is privacy policy.
Brandis refuses to answer piracy questions
Federal Attorney-General George Brandis has flatly refused to comment on a report that the new Coalition Government has signalled plans to restart long-running talks between the telecommunications and content industries to deal with the issue of Internet piracy, with the Liberal Senator declining to answer any question on the issue.
Defence to splurge $500m on cyber-wargames centre
The Federal Government has approved a new joint electronic warfare project worth $500 million aimed to better prepare the Australian armed forces for operations in "complex threat environments".
Once again, Australia sets new Game of Thrones piracy record
It probably won't come as a surprise to those who have followed Game of Thrones piracy news over the past several years (an important genre in technology journalism in its own right), but Australia appears to have set a new record in terms of copyright infringement of the flagship HBO series.
“Get on with it”: Ludlam tells Govt on data breach notification bill
Greens Deputy Leader and Senator Scott Ludlam has filed a Senate motion demanding the Government "get on with" its plans to introduce mandatory data breach legislation, pointing out that the concept had multi-partisan support and would be likely to pass Federal Parliament in quick order.
Attorney-General won’t confirm TSSR bill revamp
Attorney-General George Brandis has refused to confirm whether the Government will accede to the Opposition’s demand that it provide a revised draft of its planned telco national security bill, in the wake of loud complaints from Australia’s entire technology sector about the controversial legislation.
NZ brings FTTP costs down to FTTN levels
The telco deploying New Zealand's own version of the National Broadband Network has revealed that it was able to cut the cost of deploying its Fibre to the Premises model by 29 percent in a single year in 2015 and will cut it evern further this year, bringing the overall cost down to a comparable level with rival mdoels such as Fibre to the Node.
Truth: The Internet piracy industry code may be dead in the water
The required date for Australia’s Internet service providers to address the Internet piracy issue has long ago come and gone. Now our new Communications Minister appears determined to let the issue lie. Has the Government decided to abandon its efforts to curb Internet piracy?
Australian Govt says hands tied on Assange
The Australian Government's hands are currently tied when it comes to the fate of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, Federal Attorney-General Nicola Roxon said last night, with the maverick Internet publisher's Australian citizenship mattering little in the scheme of Swedish legal process unless a formal extradition request was made to shift him out of the European Union.
Turnbull on iiTrial: We need ‘global copyright’
In the wake of iiNet's victory in its Internet piracy High Court case, Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has called for the content industry to start releasing all of its content globally through on- and offline platforms simultaneously upon launch, in an effort to meet the demands of consumers and make piracy irrelevant.
Turnbull allows Aussie TV stations to broadcast in HD
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has introduced a bill which would allow Australia’s free to air television stations to broadcast their primary channel in high definition, in a long-awaited move which will finally unlock the full potential of Australia’s huge fleet of HD-capable television screens.
“Cheap buy”: Budde and Ludlam believe the NBN will be sold to Telstra
Senior figures Paul Budde and Senator Scott Ludlam this week said they expected that the only company likely to buy a privatised National Broadband Network would be Telstra, as speculation continues to mount about a sale of Australia's largest ever infrastructure project before it is even finished.
Govt releases geocoded national address and boundaries datasets
The Federal Government has released PSMA Australia’s Geocoded National Address File (G-NAF) and associated Administrative Boundaries dataset to the public.
Better public Wi-Fi in Australia? Let’s send a signal
If you can’t get a satisfactory mobile signal in Martin Place or Collins Street during peak hour, perhaps you should lobby the Sydney or Melbourne city councils, as well as your mobile phone provider.
It will take more than being ‘bouncy’ to fix Australia’s innovation system
It is a good sign that Turnbull is upbeat about innovation; but he appears not to understand that innovation is not a matter of pressing the right button and expecting that change will happen.
Husic: Govt ‘ignoring’ concerns over equity crowdfunding bill
The Labor opposition has once again criticised the government's stance on its proposed equity crowdfunding legislation, which was introduced to Parliament in early December.
ACCC seeking feedback for communications sector market study
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has released an 'issues paper' seeking feedback from industry and consumers as part of a market study of the communications sector.
Further changes announced to controversial telecoms security bill
The government has announced a further round of consultation on changes to new legislation that will require telecoms providers to provide greater safeguards for their networks and to permit greater powers of oversight for government agencies.
Battle royalty: Is this the end of online radio streaming?
Online streaming of radio broadcasts may be a thing of the past after the Full Federal Court yesterday handed down a ruling that will result in radio stations paying higher royalties to the recording industry.
Hockey says Govt spending $70bn on NBN
Treasurer Joe Hockey has stated that the Government is spending about $70 billion building its version of the National Broadband Network, in comments which appear to run contrary to existing estimates about the Government’s investment in the project.
‘No worries’: Carr unconcerned about NSA spying
Australia's Foreign Minister Bob Carr said over the weekend that he "wouldn't think" Australians had anything to be concerned about in relation to the NSA Internet spy scandal which engulfed the United States last week, despite the fact that the issue appears to exclusively relate to NSA access to foreigners' data on US cloud computing servers.
Turnbull ignores NBN in campaign launch while Shorten goes hard
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull appears to have deliberately avoided mentioning the National Broadband Network in the official Liberal election campaign launch, in stark contrast to Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, who has mentioned Labor's pledge for a "first-rate" NBN frequently over the past several days.
Labor claims DHS telephone and IT systems ‘collapsing’
Labor has released a statement over what it calls a "collapse" in the standards of telecoms and IT services at Centrelink and Medicare.
NSW announces Opal app top ups, credit card “tap in” trial
The NSW Government has announced that customers using its Opal smartcard ticketing system for public transport services can now top up via its "new and improved" Opal Travel app. Also announced were 2017 trials of a scheme that would allow commuters to tap "contactless" credit and debit cards as an alternative to the Opal card.
AGD ASIO’s “puppet”, claims Pirate Party
Digital rights political party the Pirate Party Australia this week claimed that a parliamentary submission made by the Attorney-General's Department (AGD) arguing for substantially increased government electronic surveillance powers indicated that the Department was little more than a "puppet" and "lobbyist for law enforcement and intelligence agencies".
Alston successor Mitch Fifield is Australia’s new Communications Minister
Malcolm Turnbull has appointed veteran Senator Mitch Fifield to be Australia’s new Communications Minister as part of his new Cabinet, with the new Prime Minister’s former Parliamentary Secretary Paul Fletcher leaving the portfolio and current Attorney-General George Brandis to retain his role.
Nonsensical farce: NBN massively overbuilding Canberra’s FTTN with … more FTTN
The NBN company’s new three-year rollout plan has revealed the company plans to overbuild TransACT’s long-established Fibre to the Node and HFC cable networks in Canberra, Mildura and Geelong with more Fibre to the Node cables, in a decision which appears to make no technical or commercial sense.
MTM NBN roadmap “tortuous”, says Budde
NBN Co is taking "tortuous route" towards building its network with "band aid solutions" being applied via its multi-technology mix approach, according to telecoms commentator Paul Budde.
Truth: CVC pricing is the key NBN sleeper issue in this election
Forget fibre. Forget copper. Forget even Australian Federal Police raids. The controversial Connectivity Virtual Circuit (CVC) pricing model is the key underlying National Broadband Network issue which keeps coming up again and again this Election. And no party is proposing to fix it.
Truth: Will NBN Co be rolling brand new copper in some places to deal...
The NBN company has recently been putting out conflicting messages about what it will do when faced with sections of Telstra’s copper network which are too degraded to use for Fibre to the Node. But when you did a bit deeper, the truth is that the company appears to have a preference towards remediation or even replacement of the copper rather than upgrading it with fibre.
US Chinese military charges a smokescreen for its own spying
In a surprising move, a US District Court has charged five members of the Chinese military with hacking six US companies to obtain commercial secrets over the last eight years. The move has been denounced by the Chinese government and the US Ambassador has been called to Beijing as a result.
Get your face onto NBN Co’s second satellite
To raise awareness of the launch of NBN Co’s second satellite, Sky Muster II, the company has announced it will give Australians the chance to "blast their face into space".
Labor’s new policy won’t delay NBN again, says Quigley
Enacting Labor's new NBN policy wouldn't cause further delays in the project, Mike Quigley said in a press conference with former MP Tony Windsor, because it will primarily focus on established technologies such as Fibre to the Premises, unlike the Coalition's Multi-Technology Mix switch in 2013.
Photos: Nodes Behaving Badly (when FTTN placement goes wrong)
Today, Delimiter is proud to present a photo gallery entitled Nodes Behaving Badly, in which we highlight some of the worst Fibre to the Node infrastructure placement that Australia has to offer.
Accenture to develop Ipswich smart city strategy
The Ipswitch City Council has selected IT integrator and consultancy Accenture to progress what it has dubbed its 'Smart City' Transformation Strategy and Implementation Plan, as the Queensland City seeks to take the next step in its own development.
Rod Tucker’s right: Turnbull’s MTM model will leave Australia behind
University of Melbourne academic Rod Tucker attracted strident criticism this week for his claim that Malcolm Turnbull’s Multi-Technology Mix approach to the National Broadband Network will result in Australia remaining an “Internet backwater”. However, the unfortunate reality is that Tucker’s comments are all too accurate.
Photos: Rain floods NBN nodes in Bowral
Heavy rain appears to have flooded Fibre to the Node infrastructure in the rural New South Wales town of Bowral, potentially causing a dangerous situation for local residents and causing outages with the local National Broadband Network.
NBN launches HFC network, two days before election
The NBN company today officially launched its new HFC cable infrastructure, in a move that may further breach the Caretaker Conventions that govern the pre-election behaviour of public sector organisations.
Anti-piracy lobbyist enjoys cozy email chats with AGD Secretary
A key lobbyist for the anti-piracy group originally known as the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft enjoys a congenial email relationship with the secretary of the Attorney-General's Department and other senior officials, a Freedom of Information request has revealed, with the lobbyist regularly using the channel to pass on anti-piracy propaganda.
Turnbull’s Digital Transformation Office gets a new Minister
Malcolm Turnbull appears to have stripped responsibility for digital government policy from his Communications Minister Mitch Fifield and handed it to a neophye MP, in a move that appears set to give the Prime Minister's Digital Transformation Office a new overseer.
The first pictures of our new Communications Minister gloriously holding a fibre cable have...
All glory to the Fibre to the Node cabinet.
Andrew Bolt slams Turnbull for ‘fumbling’ NBN fix
Conservative commentator Andrew Bolt has opened fire on Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull over his handling of the National Broadband Network, stating Turnbull has “fumbled” the catch on the NBN and let the project blow out to twice the cost and four years behind the delivery that Turnbull promised.
Spotify finally launches in Australia
news In the realisation of one of the worst-kept secrets in Australia's new media and technology sectors, Swedish music streaming Spotify has launched locally,...
Senate committee recommends ‘take down’ legislation over revenge porn
A new report from the Senate's Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee has recommended that government be given powers to take down 'non-consensual sharing of intimate images', otherwise known as 'revenge porn'.
Government closes in on legislation over serious data breaches
The government has released an exposure draft of a bill that will define what it considers a 'serious' data breach and place notification requirements on some businesses or organisations should they suffer from such an attack.
Parties should stop “squabbling” over NBN, says Internet Australia
Internet Australia, the peak body representing Internet users, has repeated its call for the National Broadband Network to be removed from the political debate.
Fifield praises “superfast” Fibre to the Node rollout
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has praised the controversial Fibre to the Node technology which the NBN company is launching at the moment as part of the Coalition's Multi-Technology Mix vision, describing FTTN as "superfast", despite the fact that some residents may only get speeds of 50Mbps.
“Fibre zealots”: The Australian backs Ziggy’s Caretaker breach
A senior columnist at The Australian newspaper has backed what he described as Ziggy Switkoski's "well-aimed" breach of the Caretaker Conventions, supporting the idea that the NBN chair's action was necessary to deal with "rumourtrage" about the project.
“Pirating” UK student to be extradited to US
Richard O’Dwyer, the UK-based ex-administrator of the video linking website TVShack will be extradited to the US to face copyright infringement charges. Despite public outrage Home Secretary Theresa May approved the extradition order today. The 23-year-old student has never visited United States, but now faces several years in a US prison.
CASA cuts red tape for drone operators
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has announced that regulatory requirements for operators of remotely piloted aircraft, or drones, are to be relaxed later this year.
AFP questions Attorney-General for not switching off phone on plane
Oh, dear. It appears as though Australia's new Federal Attorney-General is at least as arrogant as the previous two. An article in the Daily Telegraph published late last week tells us that Mark Dreyfus, who replaced Nicola Roxon in the portfolio in February, refused to turn off his mobile phone in a recent flight and was subsequently met by the AFP when the plane landed.
The Senate NBN Committee should interview MyRepublic
The interjection by Singapore’s MyRepublic into Australia’s broadband debate this morning may have been inflammatory and used mildly offensive adult language. But there are some fundamentally good points being made by the upstart telco. The next step should be for the Senate’s NBN Committee to interview its chief executive in person.
Stephen Conroy announces retirement from Senate
Labor Senator Stephen Conroy has made the surprise announcement that he is to retire from Senate later this month.
How to fix NBN Fixed Wireless: Install a roof antenna extension
Having trouble with your NBN Fixed Wireless connection? The solution may be simple: Install a 'mast' on the roof of your premises that will boost your antenna higher than nearby trees. It sounds stupid, but it's done the trick for some -- and it may fix your connection too.
The Inside Track: Australia’s tech sector has a new champion: Wyatt Roy
Australia’s new Assistant Minister for Innovation Wyatt Roy has only been in the job for two days, but he’s already strongly demonstrated that he understands the needs of Australia’s technology startup sector. Are we about to enter a new era of tech-savvy politicians in Canberra?
Conroy re-commits to filter, slams Lundy amendments
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has reiterated the Government's support for its mandatory internet filter policy after the change in Prime Minister and has slammed proposed amendments by Senator Kate Lundy that would allow Australians to opt in or out of the technology.
“National security matter”: Third agency caught unilaterally blocking web sites
The Federal Government has acknowledged that a third agency, beyond ASIC and the Australian Federal Police, has been using the Telecommunications Act to unilaterally block certain websites, with bureaucrats refusing to disclose which agency was involved, apart from stating that the issue was "a national security matter".
Secret anti-piracy talks pointless, says iiNet
National broadband provider iiNet has fired a full barrage of vitriol at the content industry on the morning on which closed door talks held by the Government on the issue are due to re-commence, arguing in a highly public blog post that discussing a path forward with content industry groups was like "talking to a brick wall".
“Marvel of science”: First NBN satellite to launch 1 October this year
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull this morning revealed the first of two satellites planned for the National Broadband Network will launch on 1 October this year from French Guiana, describing the infrastructure as “literally a marvel of science”.
Kim Dotcom wants Mega servers in Australia
Kim Dotcom flags plans to host some servers for his new Mega venture in Australia.
Brandis threatens ISPs with “mandatory” piracy scheme
Attorney-General George Brandis has threatened to introduce legislation to deal with the issue of Internet piracy in Australia unless the ISP and content industries can agree on a voluntary industry code to deal with the issue.
Telcos seek data retention extension to avoid legal action
Australia’s telco industry will formally write to the Government to request a formal delay in enforcing the controversial new data retention legislation, while Internet service providers around Australia struggle to meet the October 13 deadline for enacting its requirements within their operations.
Private telcos ‘most cost effective’ for public safety mobile broadband
Private telecommunications firms are the most cost-effective option for delivering mobile broadband to public safety agencies, according to a Productivity Commission report.
Data retention: Roxon makes YouTube plea
Federal Attorney-General Nicola Roxon has taken to YouTube to make an impassioned plea to Australians not to believe some of the criticism which is being spread about the Federal Government's highly controversial data retention and surveillance package, which has been widely slammed by a large number of interest groups as being over the top.
PM Turnbull using Netregistry email for official business
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has acknowledged he is using a private email platform hosted by a non-government provider for official business relating to his ministerial roles, in a revelation which has already reminded commentators of the hot water which US presidential candidate Hilary Clinton found herself in for the same behaviour.
UK file-sharers face disconnections after court ruling
Internet service providers BT and TalkTalk have lost their appeal against the UK’s Digital Economy Act. The ISPs had argued that the legislation was incompatible with EU law, but this morning the Court of Appeal decided otherwise and dismissed their appeal. While the decision was welcomed by copyright holders, Internet account holders now face warnings, disconnections and speed throttling.
Qld Police get remote CCTV access on iPads
The Queensland Government has unveiled plans to deploy new technology that will allow Brisbane police officers to view live CCTV footage from cameras in public areas on their iPads or smartphones while working their beat, in a move being billed as helping to keep those of the city's residents 'who are doing the right thing' safe.
Snowden report calls out Australia’s inadequate privacy law
The revelations of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden have altered the way we think about accountability, transparency and the rule of law with regard to both the activities of security agencies and the value of privacy, according to a detailed report released this week. But this change in thinking has not led to practical reform, according to the report.
Worst of the worst: Send us all your FTTN node photos
Right around Australia, right now, the NBN company and its contractor are deploying thousands upon thousands of brand Fibre to the Node cabinets and micronodes. But sometimes it stuffs up and places them in terrible locations. So send us all your node photos and we'll publish the "worst of the worst".
Hope for Ludlam as WA recount confirmed
The electoral fate of Greens Senator and Communications Spokesperson Scott Ludlam is likely to hang in the balance for some time yet, following confirmation yesterday by the Australian Electoral Commission that it would conduct a partial recount of the Western Australian Senate vote in the Federal Election.
Why Pirate Party members are not ‘whiny brats’
There appears to be an assumption within the broader intellectual property industries that members of Pirate Parties are just whiny brats who “want everything for free.” They consider us uneducated idiots who have not really given any thought into what we advocate. I find this odd.
Govt spying through undersea cables
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, new revelations coming out of US whistleblower Edwards Snowden have revealed that the Australian Signals Directorate habitually taps undersea fibre-optic cables from Australia.
Labor unveils strong Digital Economy push with top political support
The Australian Labor Party has created a new internal policy group focused on building a “new economy” through fostering innovation, startups and entrepreneurs, in a move that appears to have support from the highest political levels within the party.
Michelle Rowland appointed Shadow Minister for Communications
Labor MP Michelle Rowland has been appointed to the Shadow Cabinet, taking on the role of Shadow Minister for Communications.
Devil’s Advocate: Why brand new copper is great news for new estates
Rolling out brand new copper to greenfields estates will help residents in those areas get broadband quicker (or at all) and pave the way for easy future upgrades. What's not to like?
How the NBN could boost Australia’s GDP by 2 percent
This article is by Leith Campbell, Honorary Fellow, Melbourne School of Engineering and Sascha Suessspeck, Economist and Ph.D. Electronic and Electrical Engineering student, both...
Greens take aim at Government’s national facial recognition database
The Australian Greens have raised privacy concerns over the government's plans to introduce a national facial recognition scheme next year.
Leaking NBN Co staff in “rebellion” against MTM, says Husic
The NBN company's staff is leaking internal documents because they are in a "rebellion" against the Multi-Technology Mix model which is being foisted against them, Labor MP Ed Husic said yesterday, in a fiery speech which also touched upon the lack of suitability of HFC cable for the NBN network.
Truth: Turnbull’s MTM decision is coming home to roost … financially
This is the unfortunate logical consequence of abandoning a model which had provided well-defined certainty and benefits for all concerned.
Telstra may be deploying brand new greenfields copper
The Department of Communications has published statistics which appear to show that incumbent telco Telstra has deployed brand new copper to hundreds of new development premises around Australia, as a direct result of the Turnbull Government's new greenfields NBN policy.
Five things you need to know about the Trans-Pacific Partnership
This article is by Charis Palmer, Deputy Business Editor at The Conversation. It originally appeared on The Conversation.
After eight years and 19 rounds of...
CSIRO cuts jobs in rich Wi-Fi division
In what we'd have to say was one of the more curious funding decisions of the year, it appears as though Australia's peak research agency the CSIRO has decided that the division which made it the most money over the past few years -- the one which sued many major global technology vendors over its patented wireless innovations -- has too much fat and should be trimmed down to keep costs low.
Google publishes book on Aussie innovation
Google Australia has published a new 47 page book. Dubbed 'Australia's Innovation Generation' and part of the search giant's Start with Code campaign, the book chronicles the stories of ten innovative Australian entrepreneurs, including high-fliers such as Atlassian's Mike Cannon-Brookes and entrepreneur-turned-investor Niki Scevak.
Govt to introduce Data Breach legislation in 2015
Attorney-General George Brandis has confirmed the Federal Government still plans to introduce mandatory data breach laws before the end of 2015, in a move that is aimed at making the Government’s controversial Data Retention scheme more transparent.
Women in IT: Govt action only part of the solution
From my point of view, although this is an important policy debate, and I am glad that we are having this debate on Delimiter, I don’t personally want to weigh in too heavily into it. The reason is pretty basic: I am male, not female, and I don’t feel that it’s my place to set policy for women or to preach to women how they should engage with the IT sector.
“Buzzwords”: Ludlam slams Turnbull’s new homelessness app
Scott Ludlam, Deputy Leader for the Australian Greens, has criticised Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's introduction of an app for the homelessness over poor financing of supporting services.
Defence kicks off SAP-based ‘largest’ ERP project in Australia’s public sector
The Department of Defence has officially kicked off what it describes as the "largest ERP program implementation of its kind in Australian Government", in a SAP-based initiative that will see several thousand business applications consolidated down sharply.
Labor issues detailed evidence for Turnbull’s MTM delays, cost blowouts
The Opposition has published a detailed and referenced comparison table which appears to conclusively show that Malcolm Turnbull's version of the National Broadband Network project is behind on almost every measure by its own measurements, as well as having blown out in costs substantially.
Back off: Optus, TPG tell Govt on Telstra pricing
Major telcos Optus and TPG have joined the rest of Australia’s broadband sector and sharply warned Malcolm Turnbull’s Department to stop interfering in the competition regulator’s decision to cut Telstra’s wholesale pricing by 9.6 percent.
The Inside Track: The Coalition is strongly hinting it won’t support a FTTdp NBN
Fifield and Turnbull are clearly aware that Labor is likely to announce a FTTdp-based NBN policy in the near future. What we are very likely seeing here is the advance start of an effort by the Coalition to lay the groundwork for a strategy of disparaging a FTTdp-based NBN policy issued by Labor.
Python-iView: Copyright crusader or vigilante operative?
The issue of whether the Python-iView app infringes copyright, particularly it’s download feature, hinges on a number of specific sections of the Copyright Act and a concept of “vigilante interoperability”.
Truth: The NBN is the Achilles heel of Turnbull’s Innovation policy
A rude black crack ran through yesterday's brightness that Turnbull cannot have failed to notice. Try as he might, the Earl of Wentworth just could not and cannot escape from the shocking mess that he has made of the National Broadband Network.
Telcos still waiting on Data Retention funding, one year after bill passes
Communications Alliance, Australia's primary telecommunications industry body, has criticised delays over funding for telcos following the Federal Government’s mandatory data retention legislation a year ago.
Turnbull a ‘failure’ as Comms Minister, says Jason Clare
The Opposition has accused Malcolm Turnbull of being a “failure” as a Communications Minister, highlighting yesterday’s launch of Fibre to the Node technology in New South Wales as a prime example of how the “self-appointed Digital Prime Minister” is taking Australia back to “pre-war technology”.
“The greatest information-sharing tool in history”: Ludlam’s epic Internet ode to Aaron Swartz
The untimely death of US-based Internet entrepreneur and activist Aaron Swartz passed most in the Federal Parliament by without a murmur, but the deep-thinking Ludlam, ever the advocate of the power of the Internet for good (clearly, he’ll never be Attorney-General), paid attention, and gave this landmark speech in the Senate late in the evening on 6 February. We commend it to you in its entirely.
Govt releases assurance policy for migration to NBN
The government has released a Migration Assurance Policy (MAP) that sets out its plans to limit disruption during the switch-over to the National Broadband Network.
Outrage after TPP leak reveals piracy criminalisation
Australian political parties and digital rights lobby groups today erupted in outrage after a Wikileaks leak of the intellectual property rights chapter of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement revealed Australians could be slugged with new draconian measures if caught infringing copyright online.
The Inside Track: Behind the scenes of NBN Co’s Fibre on Demand program
So what's going on with the Technology Choice program? Is it still viable? Why are so few premises being connected? We'll try to present some answers to these questions in this article.
The only way to fix copyright is to make it fair
Everyone knows there’s a problem with copyright. Artists get paid very little for their work, and legitimate consumers aren’t getting a very fair deal either. Unfortunately, nobody agrees about how we should fix it.
“Abandon” TSSR bill, telco industry tells Brandis
Australia’s technology sector is almost universally opposed to the Government’s planned national security telco legislation in its current form, submissions published this morning to the exposure draft of the bill have revealed, in a further sign that the Government has alienated industry on the issue of national security.
More Internet regulation unnecessary: Turnbull
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has delivered a major speech arguing that government regulation is not the solution to societal challenges posed by the onset of new technology such as the Internet, in contrast to what he said was the Federal Government’s “command and control” approach to the medium.
Govt open to NBN using skinny fibre, FTTdp, says Fifield
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has confirmed the Government is open to using 'skinny' fibre and Fibre to the Distribution Point models as part of the National Broadband Network, as speculation continues to mount the two technologies may form the basis of a new Coalition NBN policy to be released ahead of this year's Federal Election.
NBN goes to market for FTTdp hardware
The NBN company has gone to market to purchase 'Fibre to the Distribution Point' (FTTdp) hardware that will allow it to deploy fibre further out into its growing Fibre to the Node network, as speculation increases that Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will formalise a widespread FTTdp rollout ahead of this year's Federal Election.
“Hopeless, useless and a joke”: Labor MP sets Turnbull NBN policy on fire
Federal Parliament erupted into a fiery debate yesterday over Malcolm Turnbull's reshaping of the NBN project, with Labor MP Lisa Chesters stealing much of the show with a furious diatribe in which she labelled the PM's NBN plan as "incompetent, hopeless, useless and a joke".
Truth: The Greens’ video game policy is a landmark strategy with a good chance...
The Greens' video game industry policy released this week represents the kind of landmark policy launch that the local industry has needed for the past decade. What's more, it has an excellent chance of actually becoming reality.
Insight: FTTdp is probably Turnbull’s election NBN policy
The NBN company's secret plan to cut the cost of its Local Fibre Network and trial FTTdp gives Turnbull an election option. Packaging the two ideas together will allow the Member for Wentworth to promise to deliver an NBN that has FTTP-like speeds, while still coming close to matching the cost and rollout timing of FTTN.
Budget 2016: Major Child Care, Veterans’ IT reform projects approved
The Federal Government has approved several hundred million dollars' worth of funding to reform key IT platforms in the Department of Human Services and Veterans' Affairs, in moves that will unlock substantial IT transformation packages of work.
Snowden an “American traitor”, says Australia’s Attorney-General
Federal Attorney-General George Brandis has reacted to the revelation of what a Queen's Counsel lawyer has stated are borderline illegal surveillance tactics by the Australian Signals Directorate by supporting the agency and accusing NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden of being an "American traitor".
eBay Australia hands seller details to Govt
Online auction house eBay has reportedly handed over the details of thousands of its Australian sellers, as part of an initiative by the Federal Government's Human Services Department (which houses welfare agency Centrelink) to target those it suspects of cheating the welfare system.
After Quigley, the silence is deafening
On Wednesday night, one man stood up for the truth. My hope is that eventually that number will swell to many.
Australia top Game of Thrones pirating nation
Australia is the nation which most pirates the popular HBO television series Game of Thrones, new analysis released this week has shown, with time delays and cable TV lock-in being the primary culprits believed to be behind the nation's copyright infringing habits.
Bitcoin miner lists on ASX
If you needed any further indication that we now live in the science fiction future long ago mapped out for us by visionary authors, then look no further. News arrived this week that an Australian digital currency company and Bitcoin mining concern, digitalBTC, has listed on the Australian Stock Exchange through a backdoor listing.
Conroy needs to grow a set and censure Fifield for his NBN OPD nonsense
Stephen Conroy needs to stop dithering about with wishy washy attempts to extract basic information from the closed shop that the NBN company has become under the Coalition and actually use the full powers of the Senate to hold the Government to account over the tragic mess it has made of the project.
Fifield attacks Labor NBN “deceit” in record short press conference
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield this afternoon attacked what he said was the "deceit" inherent in Labor's new National Broadband Network policy, in a brief press conference in Melbourne which appeared to last less than ten minutes.
Consumer group has piracy conflict of interest
A substantial conflict of interest issue has arisen regarding the participation by the sole consumer group invited to attend the Government's secret Internet piracy talks, with the group's chairman attending the meetings also currently leading the peak national organisation devoted to advocating copyright on behalf of creative professionals.
Australia’s broadband ranking dive shows MTM right for NBN, says Fifield
A recent Akamai report showing that Australia has taken a deep slide downwards in global broadband rankings represents evidence that the Coalition's controversial Multi-Technology Mix approach is right for the National Broadband Network, Comms Minister Mitch Fifield said today.
Australian Bitcoin mining probably not worth it
You may recall that MacTalk founder and all-round geek Anthony Agius has been conducting something of an experiment to determine whether an Australian Bitcoin miner could make enough money to justify the practice. Well, the results are in: And the answer is: “Most likely not”.
New copyright laws not the answer to illegal downloads
New laws are not the answer. Rather, we need to look at education, technical mechanisms, licensing solutions and responsibility of ISPs and search engines to find a workable balance between the right to own and creative content and the ability of users (and intermediaries) to access and reuse such content.
Analysis by ex-NBN CTO shows NBN activation rate is actually slowing
Analysis by the NBN company's first chief technology officer Gary McLaren appears to have shown that the activation rate of new NBN broadband connections is actually slowing, in a move that McLaren has speculated may be due to political reasons in an election year or merely the difficulty of dealing with copper and HFC technologies.
Govt pays $280k to bring startup accelerator to Australia
The Federal Government has splashed out $280,000 to bring one of the world’s top startup accelerators to Australia in a bid to help local entrepreneurs grow their businesses.
Censored: NBN denies FOI access to skinny fibre trial results
The NBN company has flatly rejected an attempt to retrieve the results of its skinny fibre trials in Victoria through Freedom of Information laws, with the company listing a large number of reasons why it does not believe it should have to release the information.
‘No apologies’: ASIC pledges to block more sites
The chairman of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission last week said the regulator would not "apologise" for using an obscure section of the Telecommunications Act to block websites suspected of fraud, and stated that the organisation would continue to use the controversial power to block more sites.
FOI requests target Section 313 notices
News that Federal Government agencies such as the Australian Securities and Investments Commission have quietly started unilaterally forcing Australian ISPs to block websites suspected of containing illegal material has spurred an extensive round of Freedom of Information requests, as journalists and activists seek to ascertain how widespread the practice is.
Time to kill paper ballots? First, let’s look at the alternatives
The loss of the West Australian ballots is a serious breach of electoral integrity, and one that must be thoroughly investigated to identify what went wrong. But amidst all the party-driven hysteria, it’s important to remember that no system is entirely fail-safe, and the risks posed by electronic or internet voting are potentially far more serious than this isolated incident.
Labor calls on Govt to bring forward tax incentives for investors
Labor has called on the government to bring forward the start date of its tax incentives for investors over its concerns about an "investor strike" affecting Australian startups.
First NBN FTTN services switched on in South Australia
Minister for Communications Mitch Fifield has jointly announced that the first NBN fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) services have been switched-on in South Australia.
Screw you, Australia: Game of Thrones goes Foxtel-only
Want to watch HBO's Game of Thrones show in Australia without signing up to a pricey Foxtel subscription? Bad luck: As of this week you're out of legal options. Foxtel has reportedly signed a deal with HBO which will block the show from airing through any other medium -- at all -- apart from DVD release, in a move which appears set to drive more Australians to downloading the show via file-sharing protocols such as BitTorrent.
WA FTTN launch marred as NBN leaves ‘node’ open to the elements
The official launch of the Coalition’s preferred Fibre to the Node technology in Western Australia last week appears to have suffered a minor setback, with one of the NBN company’s neighbourhood ‘nodes’ appearing to have been left with its door open, endangering the provision of broadband in its area.
ACCC opens inquiry into ADSL regulation
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has launched a public inquiry into whether it should continue to regulate the wholesale ADSL service provided by Telstra.
Delimiter named in AFP search warrant for NBN leaks
Delimiter has reportedly been named in a search warrant issued by the Australian Federal Police authorising raids on a number of premises to seek documents related to a spate of damaging leaks which have come from within the NBN company over the past year.
Would FYX’s global mode have breached copyright?
We should think carefully about the inevitable alarmist claims regarding FYX and be wary about movie industry calls for new laws that protect their interests at the expense of Australian consumers.
Whinge: Telstra wants to stop NBN Co helping smaller ISPs at all
The nation's biggest telco Telstra has told the Federal Government that the NBN company must not be allowed to assist smaller ISPs to better compete for customers on the National Broadband Network, despite the fact that Telstra itself already has a 50 percent NBN market share.
How high-speed wireless compares to cable in boosting our internet speeds
What’s needed is bipartisan commitment to accelerating NBN deployment along with modernising the infrastructure in the core network that will have to support increased access to broadband.
Apple Australia insists it pays all its taxes
US technology juggernaut Apple has insisted that it pays all of its local taxes, despite the company having filed financial results this week that saw the company pay extra taxes of just $4.5 million last year off an extra $1.8 billion in local revenue.
For whom the Whirlpool trolls? Stephen Conroy and the NBN
Is Whirlpool or the Financial Review more accurate when it comes to reporting on the National Broadband Network? Two Canberra journalism professors analyse the situation.
Bronny Copter is here to save us from Bishop’s Choppergate
Tired of reading article after article about how Speaker of the House of Representatives Bronwyn Bishop should resign? Bored at work on a Thursday afternoon and need some diversion while the boss isn’t looking at your screen? Bronny Copter — an online game in the style of Flappy Bird from Melbourne developer Ricky Sullivan — is here to save you.
Turnbull appointee Adcock to leave NBN in search of greater challenge
One of the most high-profile executives appointed shortly after Malcolm Turnbull became Communications Minister has signalled he plans to depart the NBN company in search of greater challenges.
ACCAN CEO wins Charles Todd Medal for championing consumers
Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) CEO Teresa Corbin has won this year's Charles Todd Medal for her efforts representing consumer interests throughout her almost 20 year career in the telecoms industry.
IPA publishes anti-Labor NBN attack riddled with grievous errors
Free market think tank the Institute of Public Affairs has published an article strongly attacking Labor's NBN project as "the worst conceived infrastructure project in Federal history", but has included a number of popular misconceptions and outright errors regarding the project in its article.
Australia not ready for driverless cars, says National Transport Commission
The National Transport Commission has released a discussion paper that cites a number of barriers to increased vehicle automation and concludes that Australia is not yet ready for driverless cars.
ACCC knocks back banks’ anti-Apple ‘cartel’ request … for now
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has said it has decided not to grant four of Australia's biggest banks interim authorisation to "collectively bargain" with Apple over the terms of any partnership involving the tech giant's Apple Pay product.
New analysis shows FTTN NBN areas significantly delayed
Analysis conducted on the NBN company's latest set of rollout plans has shown that around 105 areas currently slated to receive the Coalition's Multi-Technology Mix approach to the project are significantly delayed, in a move that will affect almost 300,000 premises.
61 agencies apply for metadata access
61 separate departments and agencies around Australia have petitioned the Attorney-General's Department to gain unwarranted access to Australians' metadata under the Government's Data Retention scheme, including minor organisations such as Bankstown City Council and the National Measurement Institute.
Can Game of Thrones help save Quickflix?
Struggling Australian streaming-media provider Quickflix has taken a punt on the hugely popular HBO series Game of Thrones, securing an electronic distribution deal that will allow online users to watch the series even if they aren’t Quickflix customers.
FTTN congestion often ‘user error’, says Turnbull
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has dismissed widespread complaints from early adopters of the Government's preferred Fibre to the Node rollout model that the technology is slower than ADSL, attributing many of the issues to end users' home setups, including their computers and Wi-Fi routers.
Key commentators agree the NBN should be broken up, sold off
Several influential commentators on the National Broadband Network have publicly agreed over the past several days with Infrastructure Australia's recommendation that the NBN company should be broken up into chunks along technological lines and privatised.
NBN Co sets 150GB cap on long-term satellite access
The NBN company has proposed setting a series of caps on usage of its two satellites, with entry-level plans featuring a cap of 75GB per month and higher level plans offering between 100GB and 150GB per month.
NBN leakers are ‘thieves’, not whistleblowers, says Ziggy
NBN chair Ziggy Switkowski has made an extraordinary intervention into the Federal Election campaign, defending the NBN company's record under the Coalition and claiming insiders who have leaked senstive information of being politically motivated thieves and not whistleblowers.
Geoblocking content must end, demands Choice
Consumer advocacy group Choice has backed recommendations by the Productivity Commission to make copyright more consumer friendly and called for an end to geoblocking of Internet content.
Turnbull rips copyright portfolio from Attorney-General’s Dept
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has ripped responsibility for copyright (including Internet piracy), classification and censorship matters out of the portfolio of Attorney-General George Brandis and allocated them to Communications Minister Mitch Fifield, in what appears to be a damning indictment of Brandis’ handling of the issues.
Danish police accidentally filter Google, Facebook, 8,000 other sites
A “human error” carried out by the police resulted in thousands of websites being completely blocked at the DNS level yesterday. Danish visitors to around 8,000 sites including Google and Facebook were informed that the sites were being blocked by the country’s High Tech Crime Unit due to them offering child pornography, a situation which persisted for several hours.
“Extortion”: Pirate Party slams piracy letters
The Pirate Party of Australia has described as "extortion as a business model" action by a Sydney-based law firm which has seen Australian ISPs issued with a series of letters requesting they hand over the details of users who have allegedly used peer to peer file sharing platforms to pirate content owned by the firm's clients.
XG.FAST won’t obviate need for copper replacement, says Internet Australia
Following NBN Co's announcement that it is to commence trials of XG.FAST – a new technology said to deliver fibre-equivalent broadband speeds over copper – Internet Australia has said, even if the claims hold true, the network may still need updating to fibre in the future.
Dyson Heydon doesn’t have a PC … but he does have an iPhone 5
You may recall how earlier this week it was revealed that Dyson Heydon, former High Court judge and now head of the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption, had admitted he did not use a computer at either of his offices and did not know how to send and receive emails. Well, the plot thickens.
Truth: Turnbull didn’t “fix” the NBN, Mr Fletcher — he turned it into a...
Malcolm Turnbull didn’t “fix” the National Broadband Network … but he did do an extraordinarily successful job at turning what was formerly a visionary nation-building project into an incredibility politicised, tragic mess.
Vic IT Minister requests inquiry into “grave allegations” of ABC NBN gag
Victoria's Innovation Minister has written to the ABC's Managing Director requesting a meeting and internal investigation regarding what he described as "grave allegations" that the broadcaster had gagged its former technology editor Nick Ross from reporting on the National Broadband Network.
NBN “exceeding targets”, says Government
The Federal Government has said that the National Broadband Network rollout is "exceeding its connection and financial targets", following the release of NBN Co’s latest full-year results.
NBN hits three million premises milestone
Just days after NBN Co's announcement revealing that it has reached over one million active users, the Government has announced another milestone, saying three million premises are now able to connect to the National Broadband Network.
Data retention confusion could send “many” small ISPs broke, says Internet Australia
Australia’s peak body representing Internet users has warned that “some, perhaps many” of Australia’s smaller Internet service providers could be forced out of business in the near term as a result of the lack of clarity over the Federal Government’s plans to reimburse ISPs for part of the cost of implementing its controversial data retention policy.
Australia’s Internet services slower in 2012 than 2011: Akamai
Australia’s average Internet speeds have decreased by 23% compared with a year ago, according to the latest quarterly figures from global content distribution network (CDN) giant Akamai.
iiNet pulls out of anti-piracy scheme
Remember how a coalition of most of Australia’s major ISPs proposed a scheme about a year ago which would see Australians issued with warning and educational notices if they were caught pirating content online? The one which could have seen users’ details handed over to the copyright lobby with a subpoena? Well, it’s looking increasingly like the scheme is dead in the water.
Turnbull backs Ziggy’s decision to breach Caretaker Conventions
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull this morning said he respected Ziggy Switkowski's decision to ignore the Caretaker Conventions during the Election Campaign, and added that the NBN chairman was doing a "remarkable job" with the company.
Government to further deregulate telecoms sector
The government has announced further measures aimed to cut red tape and costs to benefit both the communications sector and the general public.
Foxtel launches movies on demand, cheaper Game of Thrones
National pay TV operator Foxtel has revealed it will launch its upcoming Presto movies on demand service on 13 March, as well as temporarily cutting prices on the fees which subscribers using its IPTV service Play will be able to watch the latest season of the popular HBO TV series Game of Thrones.
NAB’s Bitcoin ban a symptom of the digital currency threat
Virtual currency Bitcoin is not a subject that ever draws neutral reactions. Against those who see the radical possibilities of a frictionless payment system designed for the internet, there is a growing resistance to the currencies that threaten existing business models and the perceived traceability of our current currency systems.
Australian agencies have NSA encryption access
Remember how international media outlets The Guardian, The New York Times and ProPublica revealed last week that the US National Security Agency had developed the ability to break some commonly used forms of Internet encryption? Scary, huh? Well, what you may not have realised is that Australia’s own intelligence agencies reportedly have access to the technology.
Fifield’s website goes down on first day as Comms Minister
Spare a thought for Senator Mitch Fifield. Just as the new Communications Minister was being sworn in at Government House in Canberra this morning, his web developer was apparently knocking his website offline for maintenance.
I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore. Let’s fix...
For far too long, Australia's political sector has gotten technology policy completely wrong. I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore. Let's take Delimiter into the Canberra Press Gallery and literally write the book on tech policy while we're there.
Election FactCheck Q&A: has the NBN been delayed?
Christopher Pyne’s assertion that there have been “no delays” in the implementation of the NBN is inaccurate.
Truth: The CSIRO is not Netflix: Science cannot be treated like a startup
Technology and science are different fields. Replacing long-term research with ‘big data initiatives’ and ‘performance metrics’ might - if we are being super optimistic - help to streamline efficiency processes, but it won’t necessarily deliver accurate results and it will rob this country of crucial data we need to make the big decisions about its future.
Pauline Hanson to fix NBN “white elephant” with FTTN/Wi-Fi combo
Senator-Elect Pauline Hanson wants to use a combination of Fibre to the Node and a wireless technology similar to Wi-Fi, it has emerged, as the One Nation Leader takes a step into the national spotlight courtesy of her victory in the Senate over the weekend.
Foxtel locks up Game of Thrones: No more fast-tracked iTunes downloads
Pay TV giant Foxtel has confirmed reports that it will block the remaining seasons of HBO's popular Game of Thrones series from being offered in Australia hours after the show is released in the US, due to an exclusive deal with the show's producer HBO signed in October last year.
Shanghai to host latest tech startup ‘landing pad’
The Federal Government had announced that the host city for the latest startup 'landing pad' will be Shanghai, China's largest city
Pirate Party announces election candidates
The Pirate Party has announced its candidates for the 2016 Federal Election, following a pre-selection process.
NBN exceeds one million active users
NBN Co has announced that has exceeded its "core" targets for financial year 2016 and said the rollout of the National Broadband Network is "very much on track".
NBN election: Labor polling voters on Coalition’s NBN performance
The Australian Labor Party has started directly calling voters to ask whether the Abbott/Turnbull Government's handling of the National Broadband Network will influence how they vote at the upcoming Federal Election, in a sign Labor sees it as a key election issue.
“No debate”: Australia needs “gigabit” fibre, says Atlassian co-founder
Billionaire software mogul Mike Cannon-Brookes last night stated that there was "no debate" about Australia's need for "gigabit fiber", in comments that come in direct contrast to controversial statements made on the topic last week by the chief executive of the National Broadband Network.
Did Conroy’s AFP filter wrongly block 1,200 sites?
According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, it appears that the limited ISP-based filter which several of Australia’s major ISPs (Telstra, Optus and Vodafone so far) have implemented with the assistance of the Australian Federal Police may have suffered a massive false positive event in early April and wrongly blocked some 1,200 websites, including community group the Melbourne Free University.
Pandora’s Box: Inquiry opens universal surveillance floodgates
A move by the Greens to set up a Senate inquiry into the potential reform of Australia's surveillance laws appears to have opened a giant Pandora's Box of debate about the issue, with Australian law enforcement agencies using the process to demand massively increased electronic surveillance rights, including data retention of users' communications.
Debunking the “cyber-security” hype
Crikey correspondent Bernard Keane has published an extensive, highly referenced article debunking eleven recent “cyber” attacks, in response to Prime Minister Julia Gillard's spate of announcements in the area yesterday and today.
John Birmingham skewers Game of Thrones pirates
Personally, I have been somewhat stunned about the incredibly vitriolic reaction which so many readers have responded with, after our article yesterday reporting that Australia, on a per-capita basis, pirates Game of Thrones more than any country in the world.
Australian Privacy Foundation slams “Orwellian” census data retention
The Australian Privacy Foundation (APF) has strongly criticised what it calls the "Orwellian" storage of census data by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
NBN pays Telstra $1.6bn to extend HFC cable network
The NBN company this morning announced it would pay Telstra about $1.6 billion over the next four years to upgrade and extend its HFC cable network as part of the National Broadband Network.
Aussie email provider FastMail says it is exempt from Data Retention law
Australian email provider FastMail has claimed it will not be subject to the Data Retention law which is shortly scheduled to come into force in Australia, due to the fact that it is not a telecommunications carrier and does not operate hosting infrastructure in Australia.