99% of Australians With Broadband By 2009?

Recently a study of broadband penetration rates around the world was in the news, because the US has fallen to 24th place worldwide, at 53%. Now comes word that the Australian Prime Minister has announced a $1.68 billion (US) plan to move Australia to 99% penetration within two years. If they accomplish this goal they will be the most-wired nation (South Korea currently occupies the top spot with 90%). The Prime Minister's plan was attacked by his political opponents because it would create a two-tier system with the country's vast (and almost empty) interior served by wireless at "only" 12 Mbps.

Comments

99% penetration?

[rucs_hack]

Hmm, how, by tying together the rear legs of all sheep?

Re:The Real Reasons Howard Wants Broadband = Spam

[vandan]

Remember - This is the same Prime Minister of Australia (John Howard) who phone spammed the continent prior to the last election, then paid his smug looking son to email spam the nation

Exactly. I'm glad someone remembers this. Not many do, unfortunately.

But the biggest problem I have with Howard pushing his broadband 'revolution' is that he's privatising Telstra ... against the wishes of the majority of Australians. Why should taxpayers have to pay for this investment? Clearly they shouldn't. It's Telstra's responsibility now. Of course they'll only do so when profitable, which goes a long way towards explaining why it shouldn't have been privatised in the first place. But now that it IS privatised, I don't see why my tax dollars should subsidize Telstra's equipment. They're only going to charge me through the roof for using this equipment that I just paid for.

I hope the US continues to fall

[gelfling]

Universal access will just mean higher costs for everyone and ubiquitous censorship legislation. I have mine already and in the true spirit of American Libertarianism, fuck you.