Who Will Benefit from the National Broadband Network?
WHO WILL BENEFIT FROM THE NATIONAL BROADBAND NETWORK?
March 14, 2011
Executive Summary
Governments around the world are looking for ways to stimulate their economies and many have identified high speed broadband networks as an opportunity to invest billions of dollars in an infrastructure that will net economic rewards, outside of the initial construction, for many years to come.
The Australian government has chosen to take the most expensive route by rolling out a fibre optic cable network to most of the homes and premises in the country. This essay reviews the benefits provided by the implementation of the Australian National Broadband Network (NBN) from an economic perspective, focussing on the government’s own highlighted areas of economic and societal improvement, namely: education, health, business, families and rural.
Fibre optic cable has an immense capacity for carrying data and it is very expensive, this essay questions the universality of the implementation, identifying which industries, sectors of society and individuals will benefit from this and explaining that the level of investment is not justified.
Examining each area individually the nature of the benefits and justification of high speed and very high speed broadband is considered, for these important components of our society, from an economic perspective and reveals the limited requirement for all homes and premises to be connected by fibre optic cable.
It also considers that broadband usage is already occurring in sectors and how the implementation of the NBN may be replacing adequate and advanced technology that does not need to be changed. Many industries need to have high speed broadband and they are already finding effective solutions. The government does not believe that these are long-term solutions and is advocating the roll-out of a fibre optic network that will accommodate all of the countries communications’ needs for the foreseeable future.
The aim of this review is
March 14, 2011
Executive Summary
Governments around the world are looking for ways to stimulate their economies and many have identified high speed broadband networks as an opportunity to invest billions of dollars in an infrastructure that will net economic rewards, outside of the initial construction, for many years to come.
The Australian government has chosen to take the most expensive route by rolling out a fibre optic cable network to most of the homes and premises in the country. This essay reviews the benefits provided by the implementation of the Australian National Broadband Network (NBN) from an economic perspective, focussing on the government’s own highlighted areas of economic and societal improvement, namely: education, health, business, families and rural.
Fibre optic cable has an immense capacity for carrying data and it is very expensive, this essay questions the universality of the implementation, identifying which industries, sectors of society and individuals will benefit from this and explaining that the level of investment is not justified.
Examining each area individually the nature of the benefits and justification of high speed and very high speed broadband is considered, for these important components of our society, from an economic perspective and reveals the limited requirement for all homes and premises to be connected by fibre optic cable.
It also considers that broadband usage is already occurring in sectors and how the implementation of the NBN may be replacing adequate and advanced technology that does not need to be changed. Many industries need to have high speed broadband and they are already finding effective solutions. The government does not believe that these are long-term solutions and is advocating the roll-out of a fibre optic network that will accommodate all of the countries communications’ needs for the foreseeable future.
The aim of this review is
References: NationMaster.com, 2011, Australian Geography Stats, viewed 11 March 2011, http://www.nationmaster.com/country/as-australia/geo-geography NBN Co OECD Health, 2010, OECD Publishing, Health at a Glance: Asia/Pacific 2010, 16 December 2010, http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264096202-en