NBN: Taking the Internet to the People

1. NBN: Taking the Internet to the People Holly Raiche, Executive Director Internet Society of Australia (www.isoc-au.org.au) This Project was funded in part by a grant from the Internet Society

2. Why an NBN • What it the NBN: the policy • The issues: technical • The issues: consumer • ISOC-AU’s views • what comes next This Project was funded in part by a grant from the Internet Society

3. The Politics This Project was funded in part by a grant from the Internet Society

4. Why an NBN • OECD Rankings – anywhere between tenth for wireless broadband to sixteenth for households with broadband access – and we are expensive • ACMA – are 9.6 million Internet subscribers with xDSL services down and mobile wireless up • ABS – Of Internet subscribers, only 7% on dial up, with DSL the technology for almost half the subscribers, and mobile wireless increasing • RTIRC – (2008) under a third of households in rural and remote Australia connected to broadband This Project was funded in part by a grant from the Internet Society

5. Benefits • Communications, especially for people with disabilities, people from different cultures, language groups etc • Health • Education • Research • Delivery of Gov. and other services • Access to markets/customers • Agriculture – weather information, crop information etc • Metering - utilities • Entertainment, etc. etc., etc., • See nbnco.com.au - videos This Project was funded in part by a grant from the Internet Society

6. The Policy • High speed broadband to all Australians • FTTP to 93% of the population • Wireless (fixed/satellite) to 7% - at least 12 Mb/s • Uniform national wholesale access pricing for basic service • Built by Government owned NBN Co • Competitive Environment • Monopoly provider of local access network • Provides wholesale only open access network This Project was funded in part by a grant from the Internet Society

7. This Project was funded in part by a grant from the Internet Society

8. This Project was funded in part by a grant from the Internet Society

9. The Policy: Competition Reforms • NBN Cos can only sell to carriers/carriage service providers (exceptions) • NBN Co Access Agreements with service providers must be public and other providers must have access on same terms (in similar circumstances • No discrimination between access seekers (almost) • The Regulator can make binding access determinations • Non NBN Companies cannot, after 1 January 2011, install broadband networks where there is no competitive network, unless they provide services on an open access wholesale only basis This Project was funded in part by a grant from the Internet Society

10. Technical Issues This Project was funded in part by a grant from the Internet Society

11. May 2011

12. Points of Interconnect: The Options This Project was funded in part by a grant from the Internet Society

13. Issues for Users Availability • High Speed for Rural and Remote Accessibility • Telephone Typewriters over IP Technology Affordability • Wholesale costs for retail service providers Price paid by Users? Competitive Market/User Choice • Effectiveness of competition reforms This Project was funded in part by a grant from the Internet Society

14. Issues for Users (cont’d) Understanding • Why fibre/can I get fibre if I’m outside the area served? • What happens if I don’t get the NBN now? • What If I live in a flat/caravan park/nursing home • What if I only want a telephone service? • Can I use my handset/modem/other equipment • Must I rewire my house • Service migration issues • What happens in a black out? • Can I complain – to whom: NBN Co/my service provider? This Project was funded in part by a grant from the Internet Society

15. What comes next? May 2011 This Project was funded in part by a grant from the Internet Society