NBN: Logic Failure

Agamedes wonders just what is the real reason for rolling out an NBN.

Do you need new -- lateral -- thinking for your own problems? email nick leth at gmail dot com. Need solutions? No worries. Now.

The government is all excited, it plans to roll out a new NBN, a National Broadband Network.

But why?

A couple of weeks ago, Agamedes discovered a new download site. So, in a frenzy of excitement, I downloaded a few things. Not realising how close I was to disaster...

I exceeded my monthly data download limit.

I'm not one of these people who get sucked in and end up paying huge amounts for excessive data transfer. No, I'm one of the people who prefer to have my internet connection "shaped" -- slowed down, that is -- when I have exceeded the monthly limit.

So, I've spent the past couple of weeks with a very... veeery slow internet connection. And I now have more sympathy for my relatives in the bush. The ones who don't see any great benefits in the internet.

Now the government plans to set up an even faster internet, the "NBN". But why?!

Apparently, we will be able to use the NBN to download movies. Which we will pay for. And they will, no doubt, delete themselves after a few days. Thus providing a healthy and continuous profit to the movie rental companies.

Hang on a minute... I can already duck out to the video shop and rent as many movies as I want.

Will we have a broader range of movies available? Doubtful. The movie companies already restrict the movies that they allow us to watch. That's not going to change.

So we will spend billions of dollars to get the same service as at present but saving that small effort of getting out of our chairs and down to the video shop.

And guess what? People in the bush will get that same "service" -- but much later. Because you can bet that the NBN will roll out first to the already over-serviced cities. And if the money runs out -- before the bush gets all the promised NBN "benefits" -- tough.

There is, however, one clear benefit of an NBN, of a National Broadband Network. People in the bush may actually get the same internet services as we already take for granted in the cities. If the NBN really works, the bush may get internet speeds as fast as we are already getting in the city.

Now here's an idea...

Forget about the current NBN rollout plans. Forget about the cities.

Is there any hope that the NBN is really intended to bring benefits to consumers? As opposed to movie sellers? So start where the benefit will really help.

Roll out the NBN to the bush. Get fast internet access to all areas which are currently slower than our state capitals.

Allow people in the bush to gain the same benefits as we already receive in the cities.

And if there really are some benefits to having extra fast internet connections... Let people in the bush test and demonstrate those benefits first. And then roll out an NBN for the city.

If it's really worth the effort.

Independent thinking & independent analysis of your problems by Agamedes Consulting. Support for your thought: email nick leth at gmail dot com