War of Words Over Broadband Continues

By Greg McNevin

March 26, 2007: The Government and the opposition were again trading pot shots over the future of Australian broadband last week, with Senator Stephen Conroy saying Communications Minister Helen Coonan’s three-year plan has no hope of succeeding, and Liberal Senator Bill Heffernan responding by pulling faces.

Senator Coonan’s plan requires it to convince private telcos to completely fund and roll out of high-speed broadband over the next, a plan that Senator Conroy believes cannot be done without regulatory reform.

"Helen Coonan and her government have said that there will be no reform until 2009. All of the rival telcos to Telstra have also said they need significant economic and regulatory reform from this government before they can go ahead,” said Conroy according to smh.com.au. “Australia is sliding back, falling further behind because the Howard Government just doesn't get it when it comes to broadband.”

Labor’s plan on the other hand, foresees a rollout over the next five years, with a joint investment of $5 billion and $4.7 by telcos and the government respectively. $2.7 billion of the government’s contribution would be taken out of the futures fund according to Conroy, an idea that Senator Heffernan claims is a disgrace.

Senator Heffernan made headlines over the weekend after he gatecrashed a press conference held by Senator Conroy last week, pulling faces as Conroy delivered Labor’s plan to bring broadband to 98% of Australian households.