[MLB-WIRELESS] WiMAX to go Australia wide?

[Tim Hogard]

> 
> Don't think of it as your tax dollars supporting Optus think of it as
> your tax dollars investing in Australia's future by giving rural
> Australian's a decent chance to access the resource of the internet.
Thats a short sighted way of looking at it.  I was looking at doing
this back in 2002 but two things stopped it:  1) was lack of access
to a reasonable upstream. 2) stupid amounts paperwork for the ACMA.

I know lots of people who have set up wireless ISPs in rural parts
of the US.  These areas have densitys lower than rural parts of Victoria
and most of them started with investments of $10 to $20k.  However
the FCC requires all phone compaines to provide services such as T1
at a fixed and reasonable rate.  A US telco can't even charge an
install fee for a T3 and the rate is fixed so the telco makes 10%
profit off the line.  Should those rules be applied here, there
would be thousands of wireless small ISPs all over the country and
every place could get connected unline the new plan where some areas
will just be too hard and never will be.

> Take a look at countries like south korea and the massive amounts they
> invested into broadband a few years back and how it is now paying
> dividends for their education, business and general way of life.
You might want to check out how much of that was gov't money vs
good gov't regulation.

> Yes it may suck if you are setting up in direct competition but think of
> it this way...at least their may be a healthy Australian economy for you
> to fall back on when retire :)

The current government (both State and Federal) is clueless about long
term planning and then they go on vote buying ever few years.  That
isn't healthy.

-tim
http://web.abnormal.com