Archive for April 7th, 2009

The Federal Government has scrapped the controversial broadband tender process and will instead form a new public/private company to build a national network, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has announced.

Unveiling the surprise plan today, Mr Rudd described the $43 billion fibre-to-the-home scheme as the single largest infrastructure project in the country’s history and said it would create 25,000 jobs a year during construction, with 37,000 in the busiest year.

Mr Rudd said the scheme was essential to boost long-term economic growth and set a path for the country’s economic recovery from the global financial crisis.

Source and full story at www.abc.net.au

Three cheers for planning for the future!

This news has us all excited. Not only will this allow home users to break the speed barrier Australians have had to endure for over a decade – it also allows more competition in the marketplace in regards to ISP services to homes and basic hosting plans in Australia.

We wish the Tasmanians all the best, as they’ll be the first to receive this FTTH, and to let us know what it’s like to transfer data at warp speed.

Now if we could only get the Federal Government to drop that whole backwards thinking internet filter idea…