From Universal Service to Universal Communications

The policy of universal service must change. The 1975 world of a government-owned monopoly provider obligated to provide fixed line voice telephony has been replaced by the twenty-first century reality of Australians using fixed, mobile and text communications over a range of communications equipment and services provided by competitive providers. A new universal service must reflect those changed realities, and with it, the changed environment of a national broadband network, with competitive...

Better telecommunications services for all Australians

"Rethinking the Universal Service Obligation" - A report by Prof Reg Coutts commissioned by Vodafone Hutchison Australia. The full report is attached.

USO reboot: pass it to NBN Co, bring in mobile

The end of TUSMA, and the ongoing NBN Co-Telstra negotiations, herald the ideal time for a drastic rework of the Universal Service Obligation ? shifting it to NBN Co rather than Telstra, and bringing mobile into the mix. That?s the view of industry veteran professor Reg Coutts, a member of the expert panel that advised on the previous version of the NBN. And with Coutts? ideas including the possible provision of more mobile backhaul in regional areas, this concept might just mesh with the...

Availability, access and affordability across 'digital divides':

In understanding commonalities between minority groups in relation to access and affordability, the paper argues that these can no longer be considered 'minority' issues as they affect a significant proportion of the Australian population. Rather, affordability needs to be framed as part of a wider discussion about access and accessibility. Furthermore, notions of access and accessibility should be emphasised and clearly distinguished from mere availability.