Minister's message
I recently announced the proclamation of the Australian Government’s media reform package.
The package fulfils the Australian Government’s longstanding commitment to reforming Australia’s restrictive media ownership laws while protecting the public interest and therefore ensuring a diverse and vibrant media sector.
The media reforms will encourage greater competition and allow media companies to achieve economies of scale and scope, while maintaining the diversity of Australia’s media landscape.
The new laws create a framework that will deliver greater consumer choice and a competitive industry in a rapidly growing digital media age. Australia needs a flexible system to allow media organisations—national, commercial or community based—to adapt and prosper in the new digital environment.
This edition of Communications News also covers a number of new developments in my portfolio including the Australian Government’s new $162.5 million Australian Broadband Guarantee.
I hope you enjoy the third issue of Communications News.
Kind Regards,
HELEN COONAN
Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts
Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate
Giving all Australians access to broadband services
I recently joined with the Prime Minister to announce a $162.5 million plan which will guarantee universal broadband for all Australians—so that Australians will now be able to access broadband services regardless of where they live.
The Australian Broadband Guarantee is part of the transition to, and will complement, the $600 million Broadband Connect Infrastructure program.
The infrastructure program will establish an efficient, sustainable broadband infrastructure base across regional, rural and remote areas of Australia to enable the rollout of higher speed broadband. I look forward to announcing the outcome of the $600 million Broadband Connect infrastructure funding over the coming months.
The Guarantee will particularly target remaining unserved premises, mainly in remote areas, and blackspot areas to ensure that all Australians can access affordable broadband regardless of where they live. Anyone currently unable to gain a reasonable level of broadband service at their principal place of residence or small business will be able to receive a subsidised broadband service under the Guarantee.
From April 2007, the Australian Broadband Guarantee will replace the Broadband Connect Incentive Program and the Metropolitan Broadband Connect program. These programs have already provided over 200 000 Australians with subsidised broadband and enabled a further one million Australians to access high speed broadband.
ICT awards underscore innovation
I recently presented awards and commendations to 23 of Australia’s most innovative ICT companies at the fifth Secrets of Australian ICT Innovation competition. Winning innovations across the seven categories included:
- a secure online voting system;
- a mobile satellite communications antenna;
- advanced semi-conductors for mobile devices;
- using light particles (photonics) for data security;
- an advanced emergency training simulator;
- a device to better detect and manage diseases such as glaucoma; and
- a new take on the wireless computer mouse.
The 121 entries from Australian ICT and research companies demonstrate the depth of Australian innovation. The Australian Government is pleased to be supporting ICT innovation through this competition as ICT is becoming increasingly important for dealing with security, defence, education, environment, energy, transport and the ageing population.
The ICT secrets competition is organised and supported by the Australian Government, state and territory governments, and industry associations. Cisco and Dell provided valuable corporate sponsorship for the second year running.
I look forward to seeing the winners go on to promote and develop their innovations for national and overseas markets. More information about the competition and the winning innovations is available at www.itsecrets.com.au
Staying ahead of scammers
Sophisticated swindlers are sending us increasing numbers of Internet, phone and postal scams. Scammers are being more sophisticated in an attempt to catch people out.
Once again, I was pleased to be involved in the Australasian Consumer Fraud Taskforce’s annual awareness campaign to encourage Australians to protect themselves from scams. This year, the key message of the campaign was 'Scams target you! Protect yourself’.
The Australian Government is committed to protecting consumers from scams of all kinds through education, effective legislation and regulation. My Department has information for consumers about online security, spam, and avoiding unexpected high phone bills.
CDMA coverage checked
Telstra has stated that it will not shut down the CDMA network until its Next G™ network provides the same or better coverage and services, and that the CDMA network won’t be closed before 28 January 2008.
Telstra has stated that the CDMA network will continue to operate until the Next G network provides the same or better coverage and services and that it will not turn off the CDMA network before 28 January 2008, even if equivalent coverage is achieved before that date.
I established a working group in February 2006 to help take a cooperative and coordinated approach to the transition from CDMA to Next G. The working group includes representatives from my Department, Telstra, and the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).
The Working Group is examining a number of key issues relating to the transition, including Telstra’s customer engagement and information provision strategy, transitional customer issues such as handsets, data services issues, external stakeholder information strategy, and audits of coverage.
I arranged for independent audits of CDMA coverage compared with Next G network. The first audit was completed in February 2007, with ACMA measuring coverage of over 90 selected CDMA sites. Testing of Next G coverage from the same sites is expected to take place later in 2007, to allow a comparison between the two networks’ coverage.
Improving Indigenous telecommunications
I recently announced the first round of funding under the $36.6 million Backing Indigenous Ability telecommunications program.
The Backing Indigenous Ability telecommunications program will address the need for telephones and publicly available Internet access and videoconferencing facilities. It will also provide ICT training and skills development, and grants for Indigenous online content development.
A focus will be to provide better facilities to remote Indigenous communities that currently have limited, or no public telecommunications facilities.
Applications under this first round close on 20 April 2007.
The $89.9 million Backing Indigenous Ability initiative will also deliver improved television and radio services to remote Indigenous communities. Backing Indigenous Ability is part of the Government's $1.1 billion Connect Australia package.
News in brief
An end to unsolicited telemarketing calls moves closer
- The Australian Government recently announced that Service Stream Solutions Pty Ltd will be the operator of the national Do Not Call Register.
The Do Not Call Register is being established in response to increasing levels of community concern about the growth of intrusive and unnecessary telemarketing calls. The Australian Communications and Media Authority is responsible for establishing and enforcing the Register.
The Do Not Call Register will let individuals register their phone numbers—either fixed line or mobile—to opt out of receiving a wide range of telemarketing calls.
Work on the Register has been progressing well and it is expected to be fully operational by late May this year.
Reports on key disability equipment and services welcomed
Earlier this month I welcomed the release of two independent consultancy reports on communications disability equipment and services.
The first report, Review of the provision of telecommunications equipment to consumers with disabilities, looked at the current arrangements in place for providing telecommunications equipment to people with disabilities.
The second report, Assessment of text any-to-any connectivity options – future directions for text communications, assessed the technical feasibility and financial viability of a text server proposed by the Communications Alliance (formerly the Australian Communications Industry Forum).
The findings of both reports are an important part of the Australian Government’s future policy development process.
Portfolio profile —SBS
On air, on screen, and online in more than 60 languages, the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) is the voice and vision of multicultural Australia.
Watched by more than seven million Australians each week, SBS television contains a unique mix of Australian-produced and international programs drawn from over 400 national and international sources.
At least half of all SBS programming is in languages other than English, but subtitles make these films, documentaries, comedies and animation accessible to everyone.
SBS also operates the world’s most linguistically diverse radio network. Broadcasting in a different language every hour, each year SBS radio produces more than 13 500 hours of language-specific programs in over 60 different languages.
SBS television and radio is complemented by original online content from SBS online, providing text and video services as well as audio-on-demand in 68 languages.
By providing multilingual and multicultural broadcasting, SBS gives Australians access to other cultures and languages through creative and quality programming.