We investigate the state of play for our national
broadband network, and what a new government may mean.
As the silly season gets into gear and we settle into long,
hot days of gaming, reading eBooks and tinkering with some tech, it’s time to
think about what’s on the horizon for tech enthusiasts in the coming year It’s
always dangerous to make predictions, but Investigator’s going to break a
long-standing New Year’s resolution and do a bit of crystal-ball gazing. Here are
some cautious forecasts on the coming twelve months in the world of tech.
NBN
The NBN is one of the biggest issues for tech users this
year and beyond.
The minister Malcolm Turnbull is overseeing several reviews
of the network including the makeup of technology and the extent of fiber, cost
and timelines.
The Coalition has kept saying all along that it intends to
build a fiber to the node network. Supporters of a complete fiber network are
hoping that they can show there’s enough community support for the fiber to the
premises network to pressure the minister and the government into building the
technically superior FTTP network promised by Labor There’s a growing number
of, save the NBN websites popping up and the guys behind the ‘Liberal Party of
Australia: Reconsider your plan for a ‘FTTN’ NBN in favor of a superior ‘FTTH’
NBN’ petition on change.org is nearing 300,000.
Their campaign is running ads and encouraging supporters to
get vocal with their local MP.
Guess-o-meter: FTTP unlikely to be green lighted, but here’s
hoping anyway.
The minister
Malcolm Turnbull is overseeing several reviews of the network
Global roaming
The incoming government has mentioned that this is one area
that it might look at, but they may just be because they’re worried about
justifying their own exorbitant phone bills if the expenses gate saga keeps
going. Still, an MP with a huge global roaming bill just might have a bit of
motivation to take on the Telcos. This year ACMA has introduced better rules so
that Telcos must inform users about phone and data costs and how to cut-off
global roaming services when they're overseas, but the costs are still sky
high.
If, as suggested, the ACCC is charged with looking into the
issue, then the government could give legislative support to pricing controls
and shed light on why these costs can go unregulated. Australia is nowhere near
the EU, which has mandated maximum global roaming costs, so we're still subject
to the dark arts of international roaming costs by Telcos.
Guess-o-meter: If the Foreign Minister's bill gets too high,
look out for tough talk to Telcos.
We're still
subject to the dark arts of international roaming costs by Telcos
Piracy
The newly-minted conservative government has already started
talking about ways to combat piracy and it wants input from internet providers
and content creators. Could Australia get a Three Strikes policy or will there
be a push to get ISPs to take a more active role issuing infringement notices?
Is there an appetite for prosecution? It's not clear yet, but the government
has already said it will look at measures such as blocking websites. Piracy is
like a hydra: as one site for illegal downloading gets shutdown another few
open up to meet the appetite for access to quick, easy, DRM-free content. The
Isohunt website takedown and the speedy creation of mirror sites is a case in
point.
Guess-o-meter: Piracy is a global problem. When has blocking
websites ever worked? Expect some tough talk but not many real solutions.
Piracy is like a
hydra
Smartphone security
At the risk of flaming fires of the Android vs iOS argument,
the stats show that malware and other nasties infect Android devices in greater
numbers than iOS. This puts people's sensitive information at risk and more
needs to be done to weed out questionable apps from the Google Play Store.
At the same time, both the Apple App Store and the Play
store need to do more to tighten the rules around apps targeted at children.
Too many free apps require excessive payments for tokens and other components
to make them work properly Some Android apps for kids have been found to get
access to geo-location and other sensitive information without proper
permissions.
Guess-o-meter: Apple and Google unlikely to hear the faint
cry of complaints over the sound of payments clicking over.
