[clug] stupid Communications ministers

[Alex Satrapa]

On 16 Nov 2006, at 18:10, Dale Baldwin wrote:

> man did she piss me off today
>
> The Communications Minister, Senator Helen Coonan, says Internet  
> speeds
> in Australia are not as slow as Rupert Murdoch suggests.
>
> Mr Murdoch today labelled Australian broadband Internet speeds a
> disgrace and said the nation was being left behind.

How many times do you download a complete new CD image of your  
favourite Linux?

Why do you need > 1.5Mbps except for playing WoW or downloading porn?

Here is what most people use the Internet for these days, that I'm  
aware of:
  - World of Warcraft
  - Internet banking (paying bills by BPay makes life so much easier)
  - emailing the latest batch of photos of their baby/puppy/new house
  - catching up with friends' blogs
  - software updates for their OS of choice

It is already possible to waste your entire life sitting in front of  
a PC connected to the Internet. Do you really need it to be faster?

Rupert wants faster Internet so that he has another (unregulated)  
channel through which to pump his particular flavour of Kool Ai... I  
mean... propaganda.

For once, I agree with someone from the Liberal party. It's more  
important that we get broadband of any flavour out to everyone it can  
possibly reach, than it is to get city folk a stronger hit of their  
favourite addiction. Communities are dying, and having broadband  
access in the wheat belt might just mean that people don't have to  
move to the city to educate their children and run their agri- 
business (though the sanity of running agri-business instead of  
agriculture is an argument for a different forum).

Internode seems to be pushing faster ADSL out as fast as people are  
buying it. The only reason to inject Government funds would be if a  
similar company was having trouble overcoming some barrier in  
entering the market. Telstra doesn't need help entering the market,  
since they *are* the barrier to market entry.

Why do we need faster broadband, asides from playing games and  
keeping up with the Joneses?

Alex