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There are no NBN apps: Turnbull

Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has been spruiking coalition broadband policy this month. A core point, he says, is that there are no applications for National Broadband Network (NBN) speeds of 100 megabits per second (Mbps). Is he right?
Written by Stilgherrian , Contributor

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Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has been spruiking coalition broadband policy this month. A core point, he says, is that there are no applications for National Broadband Network (NBN) speeds of 100 megabits per second (Mbps). Is he right?

On Patch Monday this week, Turnbull discusses the broadband strategy that he outlined in a speech to the National Press Club earlier this month.

Quite rightly, he says that there can be enormous cost savings if capital expenditure can be delayed.

Also quite rightly, he says Communications Minister Stephen Conroy's criticism that the coalition strategy would lead to a "patchwork internet" is irrelevant. The internet has always been a "network of networks".

But when it comes to the need for speed, our opinions differ. I think the high-bandwidth application is staring us in the face: multiple video streams, as described in the government video "At home with the NBN". Turnbull disagrees.

Turnbull also disagrees with people like "father of the internet" Vint Cerf, who think that the NBN would be a platform for innovation that'd soon pay for itself.

Broadband policy was a key issue in last year's federal election. It's bound to be a key issue in the next federal election. If nothing else, Turnbull makes clear the differences between coalition policy and Labor's NBN. It's worth listening both to this interview and to Turnbull's conversation with Phil Dobbie in last week's Twisted Wire podcast.

Patch Monday also includes my usual look at some of last week's news headlines.

To leave an audio comment on the program, Skype to stilgherrian, or phone Sydney 02 8011 3733.

Running time: 35 minutes, 22 seconds

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