[clug] stupid Communications ministers

[Paul Wayper]

Alex Satrapa wrote:
> 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
So you don't:

- Read up on product comparisons (e.g. choice.com.au)
- Get involved in online communities (e.g. babysteps.com.au)
- Read about news and current affairs and advocacy (e.g. crikey.com.au)
- Buy and sell things online (e.g. ebay.com.au)
- Learn about stuff online (e.g. wikipedia.org)

Your opinions of what people use the Internet for are straw man
arguments: you've chosen the banal in order to ridicule it.

> Rupert wants faster Internet so that he has another (unregulated)
> channel through which to pump his particular flavour of Kool Ai... I
> mean... propaganda.
And yet Rupert is all about monopolies, and unless he intends to buy
Telstra outright (not likely) he's not going to get one by advocating
faster internet to more people in Australia.

> 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).
And yet Senator Coonan is saying "if people can't afford high-priced
internet then they can always choose not to be on it."  She's not saying
"let's make the mountain lower", she's saying "if people don't want to
go over the mountain, then that's their choice".  This is Hobson's
choice.  She's certainly not trying to offer the people in the
non-Capital City areas cheaper (or even available) broadband.

> Why do we need faster broadband, asides from playing games and keeping
> up with the Joneses?
I honestly don't know whether you're being facetious here, or baiting
people, or genuinely don't know.  But I suggest that you're missing the
point if you think the internet is only about meaningless
self-gratification.  Maybe you should watch some commercial TV - that's
all about meaningless self-gratification.

Have fun,

Paul