"If Australia is seen to be lagging behind the rest of the world in the content-based industry we will lose export dollars and jobs," Banks said.
The IIA agrees
The Internet Industry Association (IIA) agrees that there are serious flaws in the government's datacasting policy.
"The government has mistaken datacast interactive television for 'television by the back door'," the IIA said.
"In a less restrictive environment there would be more incentive for competition, lower prices and more diversity of content," IIA executive director, Peter Coroneos said.
"The future of wireless interactive services for all Australians has been seriously compromised to protect established broadcasting interests."
The Opposition says another failure is the availability and cost of set-top boxes.
"You still can't walk into a store and buy a set top box," Banks said.
"Inevitably they've made equipment for the digital TV market more expensive through lack of supply. If they'd got the regime right, digital set top boxes would be cheaper."
The IIA supports the comments.
"A week into the new regime, what have we got?" Coroneos said. "Precious little. Boxes costing AU$700, virtually unobtainable by the average viewer, and a public recommendation that consumers not buy them."
Government stands firm
In retaliation, the government claims that the shortage of set top boxes is no fault of its regime.
"It's a matter of timing," according to a spokesperson for the Communications and Information Technology minister, Senator Alston.
"There's a queue in terms of people who want to get hold of them."
Commenting on the cost of a set-top box, Alston's office said decoders were in their infancy and consumers were under no compulsion to buy them.
"AU$700 is the initial starting price, as demand increases it will go down," Alston's office said. "Obviously it is not petty cash but it's not a massively exorbitant price."
Australian Digital TV - why is it irrelevant?
I want to watch (for example) NBA TV, many many MLB games, Latin-American and European channels (note the "s" meaning many, many channels !!!! - get the message?).
If Digital TV is basically the digitalisation of the same restrictive content that the Australian commercial and Pay TV channels are currently offering, then I am not interested.
This lack of interest extends to me not caring about about all of those fancy HD Tvs in Harvey Norman or Domayne etc - This would be (again) the HD of the same restrictive content that the Australian commercial and Pay TV channels are currently offering, etc.
Because of this irrelevance, I have no interest in Australian TV content, well, except for CNN International news. At least you show that.
Regards