The following news release was sent out to the press last night and will be of interest to members. Please note the links to the full report and statements from the Minister and Shadow Minister.

NEWS RELEASE:

TelSoc and the NBN Futures Group held a forum on Tuesday 24^th November where Dr Jim Holmes, TelSoc Chairman and a member of the NBN Futures Group, presented:

"Towards a National Broadband Strategy, 2020-2030"

A comprehensive report, based upon 21 months’ research and consultation via four public forums, it is aimed to stimulate interest by the Federal Government, the Opposition and Crossbenchers; and equally by the broadband industry’s supply side and by its end-user advocates.

The presentation was introduced by John Burke, the Convenor of the NBN Futures Group who read written statements from Minister Fletcher and Shadow Minister Rowland in support of the forum.

Dr Holmes presented the key points of the report:

National Critical Infrastructure.

Community dependence upon the NBN has been well demonstrated during the Covid pandemic. It enabled working from home, schooling from home and telemedicine all of which would not have been possible without a robust NBN. The network was critical to the nation’s survival.

There needs to be a National Broadband Strategy with a clear vision for Australia’s broadband future. The Strategy needs:

•       bipartisan support.

•       to be long term, covering a rolling 10-year horizon.

•       to address supply side and demand side goals, with a view to maximising social and economic benefits through digital inclusion.

•       be concerned to ensure that the network benefits from broadband investment for society at large are identified, assessed and realised.

•       to make provision for regular assessment of broadband needs and demand to guide national policy.

Dr Holmes stressed that “The Commonwealth's investment in broadband is not over. A whole range of special purpose investments will need to be made that cannot be expected from NBN Co. as a commercial operation, but might be via NBN Co. considered as a key public sector infrastructure agency. The Commonwealth must be prepared to promote and sponsor applications development and research to ensure maximum benefit for Australia.”

For more information in detail, a copy of the report and the statements from the Minister and Shadow Minister may be downloaded here: 
https://telsoc.org/blog/towards-national-broadband-strategy-australia-2020-2030

Commentary was provided by three senior industry and parliamentary commentators:

• Teresa Corbin, the Chief Executive Officer of consumer advocacy group ACCAN welcomed the report and the issues it addressed and noted that it was produced entirely by volunteers for the public good. She said that the NBN is pivotal in providing future broadband for an inclusive community, particularly for rural communities and businesses. She agreed that it is vital that broadband is recognised as National Critical Infrastructure.
• Deena Shiff, Chair of the Australian Broadband Advisory Council highlighted telehealth and agritech as key areas for rural growth and emphasised the importance of digital inclusion, not forgetting digital skills. The ABAC also launched its report on methodology this morning: https://www.communications.gov.au/what-we-do/internet/australian-broadband-advisory-council-reports
• Dr Helen Haines MP, Member for Indi, emphasised the importance of the bipartisanship approach and praised the report. She said that long term strategy is the missing link for broadband, and welcomed the aim to set long term targets. She said this is of particular important to rural and regional Australia.

Supplementary remarks from NBN Futures Group members were provided from:

• Dr Leith Campbell on uprating fixed broadband and how 5G considerations can improve the NBN as well as provide competition. In particular he referred to the potential for NBN Co to provide a nationally valuable role as a wholesale infrastructure provider of 5G.
• Dr Murray Milner who provided a perspective from New Zealand’s experience, where a good national outcome in the penetration of ultra high speed has been achieved through a high level of bipartisanship between New Zealand’s alternate governments between 2006 and the present.
• Allan Horsley who reminded the meeting of the  high level of continuity between the Hawke government’s policies in 1987 and the Howard government’s in 1997 in progressively introducing competition into the telecommunications industry.

The NBN Futures Group is an independent group of expert telecommunications professionals within TelSoc membership. They have held a series of forums and published a number of peer-reviewed papers on aspects of the NBN and more latterly on the future of broadband in Australia. Most of the articles have been published in TelSoc’s own journal, the Journal of Telecommunications and the Digital Economy.

TelSoc (the Telecommunications Association) is a not-for-profit society and the telecommunication industry’s oldest learned society. It exists to keep its members informed of new developments in telecommunications, and to support the industry as a whole in serving Australia’s society and digital economy. TelSoc exists to maximise the effectiveness of telecommunications in Australia.