Australia’s NBN profitable for the connectivity of it’s rural and disadvantaged users.

The National Broadband Network (NBN) will be most profitable to people currently without broadband or who do not have decent access, such as rural locations, small business and disadvantaged communities, because of the speed, software and broader connection with other areas of Australia. The fibre optic cable technology plays a significant role in the importance of the advancement towards broadband growth, as well as the affordability due to new competitive options available due to the break up of Telstra’s current hold on Australia’s telecommunications. First we will look at the estimated costs the NBN will incur for the government due to instalments of a new technology. Secondly, we will have a brief look into the technology of this new fibre optic cable network construction in comparison with current technology in place. Thirdly, outline the proposed possibilities of the oncoming of the NBN with a look into the software, Internet content and programs that will be available. Lastly, look on what minorities and sectors will benefit the most from this new technology.

After it’s initial release in 2010, the Government put together NBN Co to initiate the rollout and provide corporate information on the program. The confirmed “total capital expenditure for the project is estimated to be $35.9 billion, less than the government’s original $43 billion estimate. The government expects to contribute $27.5 billion in equity for the rollout.” (How much will the NBN cost to roll out? 2011). As well as the predicted budget of the cost of installing the network taken into consideration by the federal government, the National Broadband Network Companies Act (2011) has been put into place to ensure that the NBN remains in Commonwealth ownership for the duration of the construction and roll out of the network. Only when the system is fully functional and can meet productivity requirements, can the system be privatized.

Prior to the introduction of the fiber optic network, research was done on Australia’s current broadband, which put Australia as 17 out of 30 countries due to the “entry level [of] 256 kbps broadband per 100 inhabitants” (Given, J. 2008, Pp.6). The technological advancements behind the NBN involves installing the fibre optic cable into “93 per cent of Australian homes, schools and businesses, providing broadband speeds of up to a gigabits per second” (What is the NBN? 2011) and making wireless satellite for the areas that cannot be accessed by the fibre optic cable. The fibre optic cable consists of “fibre glass core covered by a glass casing that reflexes the light back to the core” (Fairhurst, G. 2001), allowing broadband information to travel at phenomenal speeds. The Government has initialized that any rural areas that do not get fibre optic cabling in their homes or businesses will get “fixed wireless services, delivering peak speeds of at least 12 Mbps, to premises in the 94-97 percentile.” (NBN Rollout: Statement of Expectations 2010). This is a substantial improvement to the overall broadband connection rating for all  Australians as previously mentioned at 256kb/s.

As Czernich  et al. (2011) suggests, the high-speed capabilities of the NBN on the infer-structure “may affect the innovative capacities of the economy through development of new products, processes and business models to promote growth” (Czernich et al. 2011, pp. 508), especially in the rural locations where connectivity is currently low. The speeds predicted by the new network will provide Australians with the option of Internet television, video telecommunications, ease of access in relation to financial advice and assistance, health care and a broader access for rural schools to advance all children at the same rate throughout the nation. The need for an advancement in our technology  comes into light when looking onto Cunningham (2011)’s work stating that “More than 70% of the Digital Universe will be generated by users – individuals at home, at work, and on the go. That’s 880 billion gigabytes.” (Cunningham 2011, pp. 17) There will be no more delays in access to information and technology for rural areas or areas previously without proper connections for the Internet (like outer suburbs in city locations).

The elderly and rural indigenous Australians have been marked as the most disadvantaged to the current broadband system, as the “elderley,disabled, ill -who by virtue of low income may not be users of the newer technologies” (Stephens 2011) and therefore would find the competitive pricing of the new broadband to their advantage. The rural businesses would obtain a significant advantage from the new connectivity of the NBN in order to “remain competitive with their urban counterparts.” (Hill et al. 2011, pp.1088). The health system will also benefit greatly from the NBN. Because of the high speeds and broader connectivity from this network, doctors can keep in contact with rural patients, which will mean less long distant travelling for either the doctors or patients, and also the opportunity for all people to get prompt and reasonable health care due to the time saved with video-conferencing doctors appointments. (Madden et al. 200)

Despite the cost of putting the National Broadband Network together by 2020, it can be noted that the people that will profit most from this new technology are its users, especially in the rural and disadvantaged communities. Connecting all Australians with each other and the rest of the developing world means greater success for the market, health and growth of the nation as one society. The areas that are of the greater importance to this report is the emphasis on the network improving the lives of the broadband-disadvantaged, such as the elderly and rural locations, who either don’t have Internet, or have to go to expensive lengths to have the most simple of broadband, or possible dial up, connections. The key point of this essay is that this network isn’t just about having the best technology and advancing the nation through it’s Internet use, but about connecting all the people in Australia and making it possible for the disadvantaged minorities to push forward for their futures.

References:

Madden, G., Savage, S.J., Coble-Neal, G. and Bloxham, P. (2000), “Advanced communications policy and adoption in rural Western Australia”, Telecommunications Policy, Vol. 24 No. 4, pp. 291-304, viewed 19 October 2011, via Griffith University database.

How much will the NBN cost to roll out? 2011, viewed 5 October 2011, < http://www.nbn.gov.au/frequently-asked-questions/nbn-costs-and-pricing/how-much-will-the-national-broadband-network-cost-to-roll-out/&gt;

National Broadband Network Companies Act 2011, viewed 10^th October 2011, < http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/C2011A00022&gt;

Hill, S. R., Burgan, B. and Troshani, I. 2011, ‘Understanding broadband adoption in rural Australia’, Industrial Management & Data Systems, vol. 111, No. 7, pp. 1087-1104, viewed 11^th October 2011 via Griffith University database.

Given, J. 2008, ‘Australia’s Broadband: How big is the problem?’, Media International Australia, vol. 1, no. 127, pp. 6-10, viewed 10^th October 2011, via Griffith University database.

What is the NBN? 2011, viewed 10 October 2011, < http://www.nbn.gov.au/about-the-nbn/what-is-the-nbn/&gt;

Fairhurst, G. 2001, Fibre Optic Cable, viewed 19 October 2011, < http://www.erg.abdn.ac.uk/~gorry/eg3561/phy-pages/fibre.html&gt;

NBN Rollout: Statement of Expectations 2010, viewed 16October 2011, < http://www.minister.dbcde.gov.au/media/media_releases/2010/121&gt;

Czernich, N., Falck, O., Kretschmer, T. and Woessmann, L. 2011, ‘Broadband Infrastructure and Economic Growth’, The Economic Journal, vol. 121, no. 1, pp. 505-532, viewed 16October 2011, via the Griffith University database.

Cunningham, S. 2011, ‘Broadband, The NBN and Screen Futures’, Media International Australia, vol. 1, no. 140, pp. 16-21, viewed 14October 2011, via the Griffith University database.

Stephens, S. 2011, Submissions: Shelley Stephens, viewed 19 October 2011 < http://www.dbcde.gov.au/consultation_and_submissions/abc_sbs_review/_submissions/s/94&gt;

 

 

 

Wk 9 – Political Participation and Viral Campaigning

Sign an e-petition.

I regularly sign e-petitions and get emails on what the progress of the petition, whether it’s a passing of legislation or stopping the government from bringing in the internet filter. Not all of the petitions I have signed are apart of protest against legislation, some are just to get awareness of modern day issues like re-framing laws to allow for R18+ games, equal marriage rights and to prevent high-fines from police from public swearing. I follow GetUp! on Facebook and I’m subscribed to their newsletter as they focus on some major issues of Australia society.

Respond to a professional blogger at a major news site.

I went onto Courier Mail’s website to comment on the ludicrous notion of shooting rouge magpies as it has been on the news and local papers lately. I strongly disagree with this notion and I regard this as a remedy but not a cure.

What is Barak Obama up to today? Can you send him a message about the importance of freedom on the internet?

I checked out Barack Obama’s website to find out what he has been up to. The front page has a “news feed” which tells me that he attended the 66th United Nations General Assembly this week to make an address on the UN’s $2 billion renovation initiative. This page also heavily promotes that people who look at the site gets involved with many options to sign up for an account, changes to win a “Dinner with Obama” and other interactive methods. So there are two possible options to contacting Barack Obama (or just his representatives); signing up to an account on his website or contacting him through The White House which you have to fill out a form.

What are the Australian Government’s plans to censor the internet (the so-called “Clean Feed”)?

This report found from the Communication Minister Stephen Conroy’s site highlights the initial report on the progression to the internet filter or “Clean Feed”. The initial plan for the Minister was that the that filter is to block adult content from children’s eyes and illegal sites such as child pornography, bestiality from free access. But the debate is how much money it will cost to block all the sites available and what other sites would be affected (legal sites such as Facebook, etc) and also marking a beginning to State Censorship.
I could not find any current government releases, but I found a report stating that Minister Conroy will be trying to amend the Broadcasting Service Act (1992) which will require all ISPs to block refused-classification sites.

What place does censorship have in a democracy?

Censorship contradicts the elements of a democracy. It prevents people from expressing themselves or developing their own knowledge on a situation. Though the usual debate falls on “protecting the children” it also falls into the neglect of rights to knowledge and what a state or governing party might declare as “inappropriate” therefore withholding the option to learn something in particular for everyone else. Something that might not have any proven psychological harm but taking the knowledge away would give the government the element of control (i.e. fear from lack of knowledge about terrorism, etc) or to make one bias on a situation to suit a governing need (political propaganda, etc.). The freedom of knowledge and learning is a keen element of democracy and people have the right to self-censor and manage their children exposure to the internet personally.

When will the NBN get to your place? What are the benefits?

I had lots of trouble trying to find out when NBN will get to the Clayfield area, but located that Townsville Queensland has been connected via NBNco.com.au (a site promoted by the government for progress reports) from the Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan. I also located a map that shows where will be addressed with NBN but I still could not find a date-by-date plan of the installation of the National Broadband Network.

Find out who your local, state and federal representatives are. Send one a message.

Federal member of the House of Representatives (lower house) for my area (Clayfield or the federal electorate Brisbane) Theresa Gambaro. There were quite a few representatives found for Queensland in the Senate (upper house) but I remember the last election our area put Larissa Waters into the Senate. The state presentative for Clayfield electorate is Tim Nicholls. When I looked into the Brisbane City Council site to locate my local member, I found that I was located in the Central Ward and my representative was David Hinchliffe. I decided to email Cr. Hinchliffe through his email provided on his page.

Look up the Queensland or Australian hansard to find the last time your local member spoke in parliament.

The last time Mr. Nicholls my state representative for my area spoke in the hansard he was not giving a speech but directing a question to the Premier about the Minister for Health.

Let your local member know what you think about their last speech.

I contacted him via his office email about the document that he read about the minister and what he would propose to the Premier as a course of action as it wasn’t outlined in the hansard.

Wk 9 Lec – CyberPolitics and eDemocracy

Today’s lecture went over the “CyberPolitics” and eDemocracy that has taken place since the mass-use of the internet. There was discussion about how the politicians use Facebook, Twitter and even set up a site that spams followers to get their friends to follow the politician as well. This method was seen as voters “doing the work” for the politician without being paid. Also know as viral campaigning.

The readings for this week went further into the subject of information warfare. What I found interesting about the first reading was the integration of pro-war propaganda into Hollywood’s films over the last decade with relation to the war on terror. What also fascinated me was the way the military and journalist worked together to sensationalise a story of Private Jessica who got injured and saved by Iraqis who took her to a hospital to tend to her, but the story released led on to believe she was captured and tortured and that the militants were saving her from the hospital where she was being held. What was also interesting to see what the Pentagon’s involvement and perusal of many films (including Spiderman) before they could be released. I am unsure how Spiderman could be seen as anti-war or pro-terrorism but I do recall that it came out shortly after September 11.

The second readingwent into Stockwell’s (2008) theory that “information wants to be free”. The citizen hacker not as a person who breaks into government facilities, etc. but one who presents information or objects against political information that they do not agree with. He also goes in further to discuss that people are already citizen hackers and already contributing to global democracy with his example of someone re-blogging or sharing videos mocking political leaders such as Sarah Palin. Stockwell (pg. 6, 2008) goes on to separate the definition of hackers usually seen as criminals by stating that the”True hackers seek to free information and are at pains to distinguish themselves from crackers, intruders who damage or steal data whether in simple forms such as denial-of-service attacks or in systematic and clearly fraudulent ways such as credit card manipulation”. In relation to eDemocracy, I see the citizen hacker as someone who is trying to have a view different to how a video or piece of propaganda would want them to think of an issue such as “terrorism” or other politically driven agendas of the modern world.

Wk 9 – Notification: Die! [Video Post]

My video for New Communication Technology project called “Notification: Die!” about not being able to escape the monster application of the modern world even when camping.

Notification: Die! by Alison Martin is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Wk 7 – Video Production process

I got an idea of what to do for my one minute video this morning after discussing the irrelevance of people who go camping and use Facebook or other social mediums so established the concept of a pseudo-horror trailer based on not being able to escape the social media monsters.

Sent out a Facebook notification seeking people to volunteer their time to participate in acting for my pseudo-horror trailer via my production company blog as well as through twitter for people in the local filming community to star in this quick video.

I got some visual inspiration from some horror trailers such as The Blair Witch Project.

Though this one is much longer than the previous trailer but is the editing style I prefer for my trailer.

I also managed to contact several people who will be part of the production as actors for the film within posting my urgent call out via Facebook, my company blog and personal text messages. Now I await to hear back from the Griffith Security about what is needed to do the filming on Tuesday night 13th September.

Wk 7 – Produsage and Wikipedia

How is Wikipedia useful?

Because it allows people to put up the information ont he site it means that there isa  broader collection of information on many subjects and more ability to exchange abstract articles because it allows people to submit information they know that may not be entirely popular. For example, when I’m have trouble allocating a year or album title of a band that I love from the 1980s underground post punk scene, I tend to search Wikipedia FIRST so that I can allocate a general idea of the name and then do further research from there because I know that public submissions on Wikipedia means that they may not be accurate.
Has anyone here edited Wikipedia? How hard is it?

You only need a user log-on then you can edit whatever you like. There are moderators on Wikipedia but not enough to monitor all aspects of the content so items maybe be removed and corrected by moderators but then readmitted by another incorrect source. The general take on Wikipedia is to get an idea of the content and then continue looking into either the references included or the words/content on reliable scholarly databases or in the case of music history, finding a database allocated to the music history archive.
Why does Facebook work?

It allows people to log-on and connect via the internet through liking pages, attending events and creating statuses through a commenting process. People enjoy more sharing videos, songs, events, feelings and philosophies (to an extent) on a broader spectrum of hundreds of friends at once instead of with a few friends in a face-to-face situation. The content displayed on the site is put up by the users
What would it take for you to close down your Facebook account?

If Facebook started to steal all the work I have shared via Facebook but not directly uploaded or used it for their commercial benefits that gave them profits I would then close off my account. I don’t mind Facebook sharing that rubbish I talk about with big companies to send me advertisements, but if I couldn’t hide my account from various people or from public viewing or asked to provide a birth certificate to prove my name I would give up on Facebook and close it down also. At the moment it’s both and advertising tool to share my work from my company and a means to share what’s going on with my large group of friends considering how little time I have on my hands to catch up with them as regularly as it is to post on Facebook.
Where is the profit to be made in produsage?

I think in the case of the Wikipedia and it’s users the only people making a profit would be Wikipedia as the people editing information are not being paid when they change something. Wikipedia also gets some profit from companies who may pay for certain information to be put into reports or linking advertisements within certain articles. With Facebook, they make a profit from companies who put ads up on their sites and some people buying certain things through Facebook (I believe at one point there was “Facebook Money” so you could buy more apps.
Is citizen journalism the end of traditional journalism?

I think the reference and fact-checking methods of citizen journalism can lead to hysteria from people who consider it news but I don’t think traditional journalism would be threatened by this. In fact, I think traditional journalists would be able to get a hold of something occurring quicker and use their methods of carrying out the news in order to present it clearer to people. In all fact, citizen journalists don’t usually get paid so they would be disadvantaged to the traditional journalists who would get the “tip” from a citizens post of news “as it was happening”.

Wk 7 Lec – Produsers; this is not a spelling error

The lecture today covered the defintion of the “produser” and the role it has on the expansion of new communication technology. Produsage.org best defines Produsers as “the creation of shared content takes place in a networked, participatory environment which breaks down the boundaries between producers and consumers and instead enables all participants to be users as well as producers of information and knowledge – frequently in a hybrid role of produser where usage is necessarily also productive” (Produsage: a working definition 2007, para 1) which goes on to outline the way in which consumers use original product to create something new, alike to the series of parody trailers found all over YouTube. One of my favourites is the video of  Must Love Jaws as seen below:

Today we discussed the public-made news system running throughout the internet. Whilst (teacher) was discussing examples of hoax news gone bad, it reminded me of an episode of Media Watch I had seen where they reported on old news footage from youtube that was picked up by various news TV programs in the wrong light. Several news stations used the footage to show Syrian insurgents arresting protesters but the footage turned out to be from Lebanon in 2008 of Hizbala capturing prisoners. Watch full video here.

What was interesting in this week’s readings was the discussion around citizen journalism. It was interesting to read in the report by Bruns, that “citizen journalists – as gatewatchers and information ‘guidedogs’ – focus more on publicising the availability of important information than on publishing new stories” which also brought to mind what role traditional journalism has in using citizen “reports”, utilizing them and checking them before using them to their own advances (without any money going to the citizen who is doing all the research work).

Research notes:

I was advised to look into some lecturers who focus on issues revolving the NBN and had a look at Tom O’Regan a UQ Professor but I had quite a bit of trouble located Ian Muir to get his publications. Due to NBN being relatively new, I’ve had some trouble allocating many journals on the subject of technology that will be advanced and others that will come about due to the installation of the fibre optic network. 

Produsage: A working definition 2007, viewed 9th September 2011 <http://produsage.org/produsage&gt;

Bruns, A 2010, From Reader to Writer: Citizen Journalism as News Produsage, viewed 10th September 2011 <http://produsage.org/files/2010/From%20Reader%20to%20Writer.pdf&gt;

Week 6 – Exploring productions tools

My idea for a first blog came to me yesterday after lecture. I decided I wanted to do a brief discussion on various new communication subjects that interest me with one or more people over Skype and use software to capture the entire discussion via the computer.

I decided to look into “free screen video capture software” over yahoo.com and google.com to best achieve this project. I found a few sites that allow for free software to download or use via the internet.

http://camstudio.org/

http://www.smallvideosoft.com/screen-video-capture/

http://download.cnet.com/Easy-Screen-Capture-Video/3000-13633_4-10288385.html

I also browsed my favourite website for free or trial software http://www.download.com, which is a legal downloading software site that I have used for years. I located several pieces of software that I may use for my production. The next step is to find someone to “debate” with over Skype. I will most likely use a friend to assist me in this project.

Wk 6 – Killing the video star: Hollywood Vs. the Internet

Hollywood’s fear of the internet and the current mass-distribution of films via illegal downloads has been the key “problem” for hollywood. With videos against piracy being distributed via the internet, such as the one you will see below, usually stating that you are taking jobs away from the people who work for the big companies.

Why don’t they ever say that you’re taking money from the big-shot CEOs of the head film companies? Mainly because no one cares about the people who have too much money, so of course they only focus on the “common people” or the working class because they see that the working class folks are the main piracy advocates so they try to get them to sympathize.

With the fear of piracy and therefore strong emphasis on stronger copyright laws from Hollywood, Wang (2003) has brought forth an idea that Hollywood focuses too much on copyright to battle piracy but not on the content that they are advertising. He points out that if Hollywood plans to make things desirable, in order for people to reach perceived cultural disparity they will find alternative and cheaper means to do so, in relation to piracy. In order to resolve this issue, Hollywood needs to refrain from blockbuster advertising and making all films equal so that people aren’t immediately downloading the film so that they can see it before or when everyone else does. They also need to embrace the internet more affectively, like getting people to play online games so they win tickets, or getting people to participate in activities so that they can do free promotions to bring people back to the cinema.

Wang, S 2003, “Recontextualizing Copyright: Piracy, Hollywood, the State, and Globalization”, Cinema Journal, vol. 43, No. 1, pp 25-43,  viewed 2 September 2011, via Griffith University database.

Wk 9 – NBN technology essay plan

The National Broadband Network (NBN) will be profitable to it’s users because of the internet content, programs and software that will be on offer due to the advancement.

First I will look at the estimated costs the NBN will incur for the government and a brief look into the technology (fibre optic cable) of the NBN construction and why the fibre optic cable is an advancement to the current ADSL and cable options available.

Secondly I will discuss the proposed possibilities of the oncoming of the NBN with a look into the software, internet content and programs that will be on offer because of this improved technology.

Thirdly I will discuss these relation of the technology in relation to the new software to shed a light on who it will benefit most but also a look at what it will do overall for the economy of businesses and corporations in the future to come.