COMMENTARY--The plans are there... but can Australia do what needs to be done to put the country at the forefront of broadband technology?
"The Commonwealth Government, working in partnership with the state, territory and local Governments and the private sector, should commit to achieving the national goal of making Australia a world leader in the effective use of broadband technology. The achievement of this goal will ensure that Australia remains at the forefront of the global economy and that all Australians will thrive in a more connected community."
So states the report by the Broadband Advisory Group (BAG) to Government. This comprehensive report addresses the issues of broadband infrastructure, availability, and affordability. It places the government firmly in the position of making things happen, both by providing direct support and by ensuring that the regulatory regime promotes competition, innovation, and investment.
The report makes 19 recommendations, which, if quickly implemented, would indeed have Australia at the forefront of the global economy and not assessed as eighteenth in terms of broadband uptake, as a recent OECD report indicates. From the developer perspective, the most interesting recommendations relate to how government might promote broadband content, applications, and awareness.
In particular, the report recommends that government give high priority to stimulating the digital content industries in Australia by supporting research and development in the application and design of interactive broadband technologies and content. Simply, this means money invested in digital content and applications. For content, it could be by direct project funding or by the establishment of a Digital Content Finance Corporation. Neither is radical. Both models exist already in the film industry along with a range of tax incentives to encourage investment. Why not digital content?
The report also recommends that government work with stakeholders to develop an effective digital rights management (DRM) regime. It recognises that appropriate digital rights management systems will result in greater access to content and act as a major driver for increased broadband adoption. It notes that early adoption of global interoperable rights management standards by Australian content production and distribution industries would make Australian content more competitive in overseas markets.
Here there could be a radical departure from the government's benign but basically hands-off approach. What if the government took the initiative to designate a particular DRM system for all government associated digital content in the areas of education, health, and government services? What if the government led the way with interoperable rights management standards for Australian content production and distribution industries as they create and trade digital content and assets? This would provide the certainty that developers feel is currently lacking and which many say is their reason for not investing in more sophisticated--and ultimately more efficient--digital rights management systems.
If this was combined, as also recommended by the BAG, with a more flexible approach to government-owned intellectual property, a huge range of Crown copyright content could be made available for commercialisation. As the report points out, this would enable developers to repurpose copyright materials for domestic and international markets. It is a smart use of materials, already funded by government, but made available as an Australian asset.
The final recommendation in this section of the report deals with improving access to international distribution channels for Australia's digital content industries. The report refers particularly to the huge potential markets for interactive games that are no longer just console-based or CD- or DVD-platform specific. Wireless and broadband offer new opportunities for Australian games developers who would benefit from the government regarding digital content and games as an international trade priority.
Lynne Spender is Special Projects Manager of the Australian Interactive Multimedia Industry Association (AIMIA)--a professional association for creators and developers of digital content. AIMIA can be contacted on 02 8256 1713.
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bag is full of numerous recommendations. use all this excess dark fibre, capitalize on govt copyright works. blah blah blah. bottom line is the liberal appointed seat warmers with no power to do anything but waste oxygen & media space. this current federal (liberal) govt is all about privatization & profits. at best they are followers not leaders. thats ensured by luddite alston. digital tv has been here 3 yrs & the uptake can still be count on only hands & feet. adsl has been such a big winner only because of the pent up demand, not tel$tra leadership. large numbers of areas, even those less than 6km from the cbd, cant get adsl due to tel$tra short sighted incompetence. broadband is still throttled by tel$tra profits & luddite alstons idiot reign.