"One day a rooster, the next day a feather duster!"
By LAURIE PATTON | 17 November 2017
Back when I was CEO of Internet Australia, the not-for-profit peak body representing the interests of Internet users, we attracted criticism via comments published in The Australian newspaper that resulted in legal action.
Some people associated with the NBN had apparently not taken kindly to IA’s campaign for #BetterBroadband. Continue reading “NBN may be biggest infrastructure debacle”
By LAURIE PATTON | 15 September 2017
Outgoing chair of Internet Australia, Anne Hurley, has grown tired of defending herself and IA against baseless attacks from people with questionable agendas.
In my case, like Anne, I’m incredibly proud of the impact we’ve had highlighting the need for a 21st Century NBN. At every stage, I’ve been mindful of the supportive feedback we have received from IA members and the general public and been guided by a member survey that overwhelmingly opposed the deployment of inferior copper-wire-based FTTN. Continue reading “Baseless attacks by NBN Co cronies see resignations from Internet Australia”
By LAURIE PATTON | 9 August 2017
The years ago, Internet Australia, the NFP peak body representing internet users, embarked on a mission to foster more informed debate about the National Broadband Network and its importance to Australia’s future. It was – and is – the view of the board and members that we need something better than a network deploying ageing copper wires. Most technology journalists already agreed with that proposition.
However, some in the mainstream media took much longer to get the message. As one of my former colleagues from Channel Seven put it, the subject amounted to a lot of “white noise“. Continue reading “Internet Australia continues to call out #NBNFail amid media attacks”
By LAURIE PATTON | 17 June 2016
PREFACE: Sadly, not that much has changed for a large number of NBN customers in rural and regional Australia since I wrote this article, especially those stuck with the FTTN version using old copper wires..
Unless we wish to have a two class Australia, with digital ‘haves’ and digital ‘have-nots’ determined by geography, we need to be providing #BetterBroadband in the bush. Continue reading “Broadband — it’s buggered in the bush too”
By LAURIE PATTON | 29 March 2016
Australia has fallen to 60th in global internet speed rankings. If we fell to 60th in the Olympics medal tally there’d be a national outcry. Just a few years ago we were 30th in terms of average peak internet speed, which is a key measurement of broadband performance.
Within our region we came eighth (even New Zealand is two places ahead of us). Singapore, with whom we are destined to be in serious competition as an Asia-Pacific innovation hub, already has internet speeds 100 times faster than ours.
Continue reading “The NBN is already out of date, but it’s not too late to change course”
By LAURIE PATTON | 10 March 2016
Two stars collided in Canberra last week, but the big bang is yet to be heard.
On Thursday, a leak from somewhere inside NBN revealed that our nation building broadband company has been secretly trialling new, thinner, cabling that will significantly reduce installation costs for the entire fibre-optic backbone, including the technically superior fibre to the premises (FTTP) solution.
On Friday, the Senate Select Committee on the NBN held a one day hearing. Continue reading “NBN stars collide — waiting for the Big Bang”