Conroy sells NBN at CES
- 11 January, 2010 15:08
- Comments 15
The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, has talked up the Federal Government’s ICT projects and its proposed separation of Telstra in a speech at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
During his keynote address, the minister praised the annual conference for its creativity and vision and said Australia had similar qualities, using the 2009 Realising Our Broadband Future conference and the National Broadband Network (NBN) as examples.
“Currently, in Australia broadband is slow and expensive,” Conroy said. “The NBN is designed to enable Australia to lead and prosper in the emerging digital environment and our purpose with the forum was to explore how we can maximise the benefits on offer.
“The Government’s primary role is that of an enabler... Government should enable individuals, households and businesses to take-up the opportunities raised by the digital economy.”
The Minister also told the audience Telstra was one of the most integrated private telcos in the world and said he was working to “address the underlying incentives Telstra has to favour its own retail businesses over its wholesale customers”.
Next-generation wireless spectrum was also mentioned, with Conroy revealing the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) will soon release a discussion paper on uses for the 2.5GHz spectrum.
“Australia has a great vision to take advantage of the opportunities ahead as broadband-enabled innovation and technology become further entrenched in our lives over the years ahead,” he said.
One major Labor policy missing from Conroy’s speech was the controversial move towards mandatory ISP filtering. Despite covering Telstra, the NBN, wireless spectrum, digital television, NICTA and IPTV, compulsory filtering was not mentioned.
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Comments
Ben
Ashamed of censorship?
Surely Conroy isn't that ashamed of his censorship policy that he won't even mention it once in his speech?
Well I suppose he doesn't want the audience to perceive him as a clueless moron.
Anonymous
Conroy
What a Twat
peterh_oz
Filtering
One major Labor policy missing from Conroy’s speech was the controversial move towards mandatory ISP filtering. Despite covering Telstra, the NBN, wireless spectrum, digital television, NICTA and IPTV, compulsory filtering was not mentioned.
Maybe it was genuinely omitted? Or maybe it was "filtered"?
Sounds to me like he's either scared or embarrassed at getting his "good news" story hijacked by discussion on the filtering!
petey
curious
Wonder why he didn't tell them about his brilliant plan to clean up the internet and get the international respect he deserves.
Anonymous
Is it any wonder he didn't mention it? Because it's a load of bollocks that only the most ignorant of citizens could possibly agree with.
Anonymous
Con-roy didn't speak about the new censorship machine because he knows the rest of the modern planet would look down on him like he is some kind of backwards moron.
Brian White
Conjob
This is why he went to the USA to give speeches, they dont laugh at his speeches, or line up to show how easy it is to bypass his "Filter"
Anonymous
Call him out.
Someone should have called him out on omitting the major point of filtering.
A bit of public humiliation never went amiss.
Sir Bob
'tis a noodlebrain
The above posts are classics and I agree with them all.
Sams
Australia's proposed Great Wall
It's such a great wall -- why didn't he mention it at all -- it would have brought the tourists here, for sure.
Peter N
His trip a waste of taxpayers money.
Why is Conroy at the CES selling the NBN? Why does anyone want to hear about Australia getting internet connections closer to the speed of other developed countries? What a waste of money. Why doesnt he shut up and actually do something about building this "supposed" network? So far in the entire time the Rudd government has been in power, nothing has happend. Nothing at all. Except I might add, the internet filter that nobody except Conroy himself and the Christian elite wanted. I call shinanigans.
Anonymous
NBN and R&D Tax changes
It is ironic that on one hand we have Senator Conroy touting the NBN and we have the country committed to spending $43 Billion in new broadband infrastructure. On the other hand Wayne Swan Treasury and AusIndustry are trying to change the R&D tax rules so that software companies won't be able to claim for R&D incentives.
Innovation in Australia for ITC will become a thing of the past and we will have to digg up the country and sell it off to survive. So that will keep the next couple of generations happy and then our children's children are basically stuffed.
Good work....not.
John
Anonymous
It was not a waste of time at all
Well I don't see it as a waste of time as he may not have mention the complusory filtering until they have fully developed there polcies and legeslation as it is not good to speech about the filtering when it is so premature as it will take time to warm people to the idea but ISP level filtering is not how it should be done as it should be a Federal Police matter to filter the internet as they are the people whom have to go and arrest people for cyber crimal activity any way so it would mean running it from a super computer but there could also be merit in hosting it from University campusess as it would be a recruitment drive for cyber experts to koin the federal police and have a task squad tasked with running it so it is a good idea but not for ISP's as they aren't the people whom should be running it at all so I think that people should relise that it was not a waste of time for him to go as it allows him mingling time to chat with people whom are expects and get a fresh look at his appoach even though the Mandatory Filtering Was Not Mention as you don't want to go like a fast train and go a bullet a gasp and hope on te carriage as He is still most likely inveigating way to implement the ISP level filtering so it wont be a screwed up project from the start and it could mean the Federal Government with a Interent Filtering Project are seriosly considering becoming a repulician society that would mean that we no longer have a Queen or A King for that matter.
Annoyingmouse
shenanigans! rabble rabble rabble
Ronald E
Conroy is good. For what ?
The ALP's Conroy is about as useful as the Cane Toad. A high cost nuisance.
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