Q&A with Senator Nick Minchin
- 10 October, 2009 11:11
- Comments 8
Senator Nick Minchin
South Australian Senator Nick Minchin has the job of representing the Liberal party on all things tech-related. ARN caught up with him to discuss about the importance of the ISP filtering trials, his reluctance to roll-back Labor party changes and his preference for Conroy as Communications Minister.
Does the Liberal party support the ISP filtering measure?
Nick Minchin (NM): We did not support Government having mandatory ISP-based filtering and I certainly am not convinced that’s the way to go. All I can say is we have not ever before adopted the policy of mandatory ISP-level filtering. We’ve said we’ll give Senator Conroy the benefit of the doubt in relation to his trials and our attitude will be influenced by the outcome of his trials. But we’re happy, given that he’s spending millions of dollars of taxpayers money on trials, to see what these trials indicate before making a final judgement. What we know to date is that there is a huge risk of over blocking and under blocking, that you won’t deal with peer-to-peer traffic, so there are lots of reasons why you would not go down this path.
You’ve released media statements about the high levels of domestic broadband penetration and questioned the need for a National Broadband Network (NBN). Do you believe Australia needs to improve its broadband services?
NM: I think there will always be the need and desire to improve broadband services. Our view is that should largely be driven by the private sector and that what’s required is the economic and regulatory settings, which maximise the likelihood of the private sector improving those services in response to consumer demand like anything else in the world.
What would you propose as an alternative to Fibre to the Home?
NM: Inevitably when you’re in opposition, your policy needs to be set according to the state of affairs that you find when you go to the election and I’m not in a position to give you the Coalition’s policy now. I certainly think there are better and more cost-effective ways to seek to deliver improved broadband services than setting up a new Government company and buying $43 billion and trying to roll out FTTH networks under Government auspices.
Does that mean we won’t see a policy until the next election comes around?
NM: We will be gradually releasing in a strategic fashion alternative views, but formally we won’t have a policy on this until somewhat closer to the election, primarily because we have to wait. The electorate by and large won’t be interested in our policy until the election and our policy has to be a function of the state of play that we would inherit were we to win the next election.
Nominations for the 2012 ARN IT Industry Awards open on Tuesday, June 12.
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Comments
Anonymous
Q&A with Senator Nick Minchin
Minchin is the one who is clueless and is partly responsible for the current mess that is the telecommunications industry.
Conroy is by far a much better communications minister then any fielded by the Liberals.
Minchin's line that there is better options then fibre just goes to show how little he really knows on the subject.
A Fibre Network is what Australia NEEDS.
Anonymous
I don't like Minchin any more than I like Stephen "The Filter" Conroy. But even I think the line on private business funding most of the NBN because of the "National good" is veeeery dubious...
Why the hell would an investor want to pump cash in just because it would help the economy?! Does anyone really think Mac Bank investors think of "The Greater Good"???
Merari Schroeder
Q&A with Senator Nick Minchin
"Why the hell would an investor want to pump cash in just because it would help the economy?"
All the other European countries seem to be coping. They are all building FTTP but with the private sector. Minchin is correct, we need to get the regulatory settings right. The Government is there to regulate not take over.
"Minchin's line that there is better options then fibre just goes to show how little he really knows on the subject."
The better options may include FTTP, but to a lesser degree. They may include FTTN, LTE, HFC, CSIROs wireless and VDSL2. The fact is the urban broadband market can already get 10Mbps with ADSL2, up to 100Mbps with HFC and 100Mbps with VDSL2. Are we going to foot a 43bn bill only to duplicate infrastructure?
What is the % of those who can't get more than 10Mbps? I'm guessing it's around 20%. 10% are fringe urbaners and 10% are rural. Maybe we give those on the fringe FTTP and let the private sector FTTP the rest of the urban population.
The private sector don't care about national interests, they care about profit. To compete they need to innovate and update their offerings to customers. That includes FTTP.
Anonymous
I reckon we should have an NBN. 110%. But private business ain't gonna do it, clear and simple.
Sometimes the government just has to jump in and build a road. Or a bridge. Or a massive load of fibre optics. Private enterprise will never agree to fund something like this when the ROI is so unstable and low.
To Mareri, stuff like this can work in Europe because of higher densities and better chance of regional population growth. But in Aus, we're so open wide that companies will just ignore the little fellahs out in the sticks.
Bottom line, everyone has to stop wearing sunnnies and realise an NBN must be public funded. It'll hurt - but it's worth it.
Merari Schroeder
Q&A with Senator Nick Minchin
"To Mareri, stuff like this can work in Europe because of higher densities and better chance of regional population growth"
First of all, I'm not saying it has to be private, but it is a very possible avenue.
I thought the same thing too of population density. But there is actually a bigger mix of things to consider. GDP, National Debt, Tax Rate (including VAT). But primarily, European countries don't have a Telstra monopoly problem.
You'll find that those companies in Europe are also only installing in high density areas. Like, France which is only building it in the biggest cities. And another (can't remember which one), which is installing to apartments only. There are only one or two others which have a national rollout strategy and even then I don't think it covers 90% of the population.
Why is that though? Because it isn't financially viable. It doesn't bring a good ROI, if at all to deliver FTTP to the fringes. You can't just say the Australian government can do it and bear the brunt, because they will be seeking 49% private investment from investors who want a return.
There is a real cost in performing a national rollout of FTTP. And it looks set to cost up to $200 / month. For what? The ability to watch videos on demand? It won't help with Australia's productivity, all the big businesses, hospitals etc. already have fibre.
Anonymous
10Mbps
A lot of metro can't get 10Mbps either. You have to live within 2.5km of a phone exchange, AND have spare ports on the DSLAM available.
Also cable is not a viable option due to both the upload speeds AND the costs charged by Telstra. Plus many parts of metro don't have cable - any suburbs built since 1997 have no cable, they get foxtel via satellite.
Peter H
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Australia's IT Superstore
Get $15 cashback when you connect to broadband - see site for details.
Anonymous
$200 dreamers... lol
Anyone quoting $200 per month as an access price to the NBN is indulging in pure speculation... It will be a clear sign that the person is either agitating against the NBN project with a political or commercial agenda, or simply has no understanding of the telecommunications market dynamics.
Ergas was clearly discredited with his slanted calculations at similar levels, only implementing worst case assumptions. Any calculation based on worst case assumptions is just that: Only assumptions and the worst case. They lack balance and almost always lack objectivity.
These same people claimed Australia would be broke by now and in dire straits financially due to the government stimulus, whereas the Governor of the Reserve Bank has applauded the stimulus and has not issues with our debt levels at all.
Worst case scenarios vs. Reserve Bank... No prizes for guessing which of those two is based on real life calculations and reality, and which is mired in political, personal and commercial agendas...
As for Nick Minchin? Good bloke in a hard job with a stricken political organisation, having to oppose whatever the Rudd Gov does, even if it is the same direction and policies that the Libs previously had, or would do themselves today if in power...
I would bet you $1000 today that Minchin and the Libs would not dismantle a mandatory ISP filtering system, should they attain government again... lol
Shirley & Ken Byllock
climate change
At last a voice of reason in parliament about climate change.
Many of our friends are 'skeptics' and we read widely and research the subject so that we are not just 'umpires in the crowd'.
Thanks
Shirley & Ken
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