ACS Urges Against ‘Inevitable’ Digital Divide
ACS Urges Against ‘Inevitable’ Digital Divide
March 23, 2007: With Broadband finally on the national agenda, the Australian Computer Society (ACS) urges both sides of politics to consider minimising what it calls an ‘inevitable city/rural digital divide.’
Dennis Furini, CEO of ACS welcomed the announced investments in broadband infrastructure made this week from both the Minister and Shadow Minister for Communications and Information Technology.
“The important point is that equitable and affordable access to broadband is achieved,” he said. “How that’s achieved is of secondary importance in our view.”
In ensuring Australia’s economic prosperity the ACS calls for 30 G/bps minimum to every household by 2015. “Without a consistent, reliable, high speed national broadband infrastructure that employs the latest technologies, Australia’s economic growth will suffer,” says Furini.
Earlier this week at Wireless World 2007, the ACS called for the Federal Government to implement best practice, world class broadband infrastructure for all Australian communities as a national priority.
“High-speed, reliable services will help address the constraints imposed by distance, provide access to e-health, e-government and education services, employment and quality of life options for rural communities,” said Furini. “These are options that city dwellers take for granted and should be readily available to regional people.”
“Significantly, rural broadband services must be affordable and this is going to require financial subsidies from the Federal Government,” said Professor Reg Coutts, director of the ACS Communications Technologies Board in his presentation at Wireless World.
“While wireless technologies remain the current best option for delivery of remote services, wireless broadband options will never match optical fibre infrastructure for the ver increasing bandwidth and speed that is going to be demanded within foreseeable 10 to 15 year horizon,” said Coutts.
The ACS also announced the National Telecommunications Special Interest Group at Wireless World. The group will address the delivery of broadband to remote services through an alliance with the Telecommunication Society of Australia.