[clug] stupid Communications ministers

[Dale Baldwin]

On Fri, 2006-11-17 at 11:42 +1100, Alex Satrapa wrote:
> 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
> 

Things i would do if i had faster Internet

Watch the NFL football games that i want to see and not the ones that
ESPN shows at 4am (reason why i don't want cable) instead of the only
game shown once a year which is the superbowl on SBS.

Watch News Services such as CNN, BBC World and C-Span 1, C-span 2 and
C-span 3.

Be able to use far more advanced Online Community groups which are now
using video conferencing, VOip and 3d animation.

Buy legal software as well as download Linux ISO's

Watch Lectures from other universities around the world

this is just some of the stuff that i have friends already doing in the
USA and Japan. From an Academic view point our current speeds limit what
i can do and i'm just an Asian Studies student. I really hate to think
what problems the guys over in IT and Engineering have. 

Also Murdocks views are based also on business needs and which is
probably why were seeing less investment in high tech areas. 

When the Koreans and Japanese get faster Internet speeds to their mobile
phones that we do to our homes you know were behind