… in Australia

This report from today’s Sydney Morning Herald:

“Labor on Sunday accused the government of having been as sceptical about broadband as it had been about climate change.

Opposition communications spokesman Stephen Conroy said Labor welcomed the government’s discovery that broadband was actually important to Australians, albeit on the eve of an election.”

And continues:

“Labor has proposed contributing $4.7 billion from the future fund to contribute to the $8 billion cost of rolling out high speed broadband to 90 per cent of the nation.

Federal communications Minister Helen Coonan revealed last week the government might contribute public money to help fund a network but not billions.

Senator Coonan said government subsidies might be needed to ensure a new network, built by private enterprise, reaches rural and regional Australia.

Both Senator Coonan and Prime Minister John Howard slammed Labor’s plan to contribute a vast amount of public money to what would be a highly profitable commercial enterprise.”

I think it’s safe to say that broadband — including next generation broadband technologies like fibre — is not a big political issue in the UK at this time. Whilst Peter Luff MP in his recent interview with OfcomWatch said it was equally as important as roads neither the Conservatives nor the Labour have really made this a front-bench issue. Although this could all change when Brown re-shuffles…