Australia Should Start a State Owned Telecom/Internet Company

if australia wasnt such a backwards system and layers of resellers
they would start a state owned internet company like qantas was for airlines
that makes money and returns it to the taxpayer
oh wait that's telstra and was supposed to be NBN

https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/690035
When what the Labor government promised normally costs $5000+ and is a bargain because the government finally decided to build FTTP for 50,000 people

NBN is the best way to deliver 12mbps as Tony Abbott envisioned for triple the price of private sector while taxing the private sector $12 a month for comparable services so they can't compete

Poll Options

  • 53
    State owned internet company
  • 12
    Private nbn and layers on layers of resellers

Related Stores

NBN Co
NBN Co

Comments

  • +13

    Yeah… and we could call it PMG… or Telecom… or some other cool name.

    they would start a state owned internet company like qantas

    Wow… mind = blown. TIL: I did not know that qantas was "state owned" AND an internet company.

    • +1

      Qantas wifi
      Oh wait it's you pegaxs…
      See you on the next forum post

    • Public Money Grabbers, havent heard that for years lol

      • Makes sense now 😂

  • +3

    Just so you can send high-speed emails about being a member and that means you get to park your electric scooter behind various management desks of the places you visit, hey?

    • -7

      I don't understand what you mean
      Can you explain again in English

      • +11

        Sorry, I mistook you for the guy who had a whinge on here about not being able to jam his electric scooter behind the management desk at his local gym ("but THEN who will make sure it won't get stolen?? this is a them problem, not a me problem aaaarhgrhrghhhhh") and then deleted his account on here and had a sook when everyone made fun of him.

        • +5

          But that clearly wasn't you, which was why references to parking scooters behind desks and stuff was so puzzling.

          Because that's never happened to you ever before.

    • I think you are thinking of @levity

      • Same same

      • +3

        This is levity. He changed his name.

        • -1

          New year New me

        • +2

          ah k. cool

          i changed my name from Gimli to gimli but no one realised :(

          • @gimli: Change it to Jim Lee

          • +5

            @gimli: I noticed your brave name change gimli, formerly known as Gimli. I found it very inspiring.

  • +3

    I think you're posting in the wrong parallel universe. QANTAS was never government owned in this one and we already tried Telecom but the government just loves to sell infrastructure too much. Try the alternate universe two jumps to the right.

    • -2

      Hello parallel universe traveller
      https://www.qantas.com/au/en/about-us/our-company/our-histor….
      The Australian government acquired all the shares in Qantas and the airline passed into public ownership. The first Qantas Lockheed Constellation arrives in Australia and through-services from Sydney to London on the Kangaroo Route began in December.

      • +1

        Wait…. is this universe alpha 378? Oh, not again…..

        • Take the exit at quadrant 5

    • Re:

      'QANTAS was never government owned …'

      I reckon Levity is mistaking QANTAS for the long defunct entity that was 'TAA'; which now only remains in the form of a passing reference in a humourous kids' rip-off of 'Jingle Bells', in a line that also alludes to Wonder-Woman suffering a tragic loss.

  • +3

    Australia needs a state owned super fund, acting as the default fund and setting the base requirements for competition.

    As for internet, I'm not so sure. I see more privacy downside than service upside.

    • That's a good idea but maybe it won't have good performance
      They passed legislation last year ending internet privacy and are 5 eyes

    • +5

      Privacy? There’s none under NBN. Look at the metadata retention they passed like 5 years ago.

      • +1

        This man gets it

  • +1

    No, they shouldn't

    But I wouldn't he again the idea of them running the infrastructure company and provide access to companies to operate and compete on top of that infrastructure layer for services, access and associated outside infrastructure connectivity
    (This applies to infrastructure outside internet also)

    One issue with Telstra was it did both the infrastructure and direct consumer sale so had a rather sizeable conflict of financial interest against other parties being successful.

  • +2

    NBN would never have existed in the first place if it wasn't just a wholesaler, Rupert Murdoch never would have allowed it. NBN as it did and does exist would have allowed companies like Telstra to maintain their monopoly through marketing and existing customers without Telstra needing to spend billions upgrading their own ancient equipment. If NBN was just going to remove Telstra and News Corp from the equation entirely and sell it themselves then Rupert Murdoch would have made certain Rudd wouldn't win. Millions of Australian households are influenced by Sky News daily.

    There's 17 million enrolled voters in the country. Sky News reckons 9 million of them access some Sky News content every month of the year. Millions of households just leave it on all day, it's like church for them. And that's just Sky News, Rupert has a lot more reach than just that though other websites, newspapers, and such. If the Australian government tries to do something that would cost News ltd billions in the long run then you can be sure the propaganda against it would be much harsher than it was against pre-election Rudd and the original NBN plan.

    • Luckily Murdoch can only include the election every 4 years

  • +1

    Australia Should Start a State Owned Telecom/Internet Company

    They did, its called NBN!!!

    • -4

      Yep, that was the basis of my joke

      • +9

        There was a joke?

        • +6

          You can be forgiven for not understanding it, particularly given it wasn’t funny.

        • The joke is it's the reality

        • I think he needs training from JV

          • +1

            @gimli: Post format is reminiscent of IVI.

          • @gimli: That's the joke it's the reality

        • This is a joke
          Bazinga

  • -3

    State-owned businesses are money pits. The state's job is to govern, regulate and collect taxes.

    Private enterprises are the best way to operate profitable businesses.

    • +1

      What like NBN?!?

      • Yes NBN is the best way to deliver 12mbps as Tony Abbott envisioned

        • +1

          if you're critical of an government run enterprise delivering internet why do you call for more?

    • +1

      Not the way to best deliver essential government services
      Prisons, Police, Public Transport, Healthcare, Utilities, Internet, should all be government run

      • don't forget food, pretty critical. Nationalise all restaurants and supermarkets and farms too.

    • +5

      Private enterprises are the best way to operate profitable businesses.

      essential services shouldn't need to be profitable

      • +1

        The government ONLY ever ends up operating things that run at a loss.
        If a service can be run at a profit, then private industry will do it (or buy it off the government if the government happened to start it)
        It’s only the things that are essential but can’t be run for profit, that require the government to do it (Mainly because they CAN’T sell it.)

        • That's because the government exists to redistribute tax and maintain order

    • Private enterprises are the best way to operate profitable businesses.

      Yeah but you then have to keep doing endless pork barrel all those Private enterprises though, Else how else will they make record profits?

      State-owned businesses are money pits. The state's job is to govern, regulate and collect taxes.

      Funny thing is, all those companies had CHEAPER services/costs when it was a State-owned money pit as you claim. The rot by power infra companies has been well reviewed. Billions spent on upgrades not needed as there was a built in return on investment for every dollar spent 'upgrading'. So want to make more money? Spend more on 'upgrades' needed or not!

  • +1

    I want some of whatever OP is smoking

    • -2

      78% Nitrogen 21% Oxygen 1% trace gases

    • Move along noth'n to smoke heir….

  • NBN is the federal government owned internet company.

    As such OP's post shows the total lack of knowledge on OZ comms industry.

    • -4

      Yes NBN is the best way to deliver 12mbps as Tony Abbott envisioned for triple the price of private sector while taxing the private sector $12 a month for comparable services so they can't compete

      • The LABOUR NBN plan was great, only when these great self proclaimed libs came into power that NBN 2.x was born in its screwed up mixed mode mess built on 80s tech, instead of Fibre. The funnest part is the tax payer ended up spending MORE on this NBN 2.x mixed mode mess than even the worst lib projections for Labours NBN 1.0 fibre everywhere plan! But you know whatever, libs know better!

  • +2

    Lets be honest the NBN's days are numbered with Starlink and 5G anyway.

    Also Telstra was a government owned company that was privatised thanks to the fat cats at the liberal party.

    Now Telstra is effectively a pseudo government entity getting all the special treatment from the government along with any pofit attributed to renting out certain fibre back to the gov for the sh1tty nbn.

    It's a win win situation where shareholders gain twice while the taxpayer loses out majorly.

    • Fully agree with you, I posted the starlink deal on Ozbargain

    • +2

      Telstra shareholders would have been miles better off investing in an index fund. 8.66% pa over the past 10 years. Beaten by almost everything. They’re not winners.

      • What about dividends? Add 5%

        • +1

          That includes dividends. Return calculated from Sharesight.

          • @kipps: In comparison Aussie broadband has 5x

  • I have a good name for it already - TELSTRA

    sol trujillo can be the CEO, CIO, CFO

    • For some reason I don't like that guy and I can't remember why ;)

    • Ha ha bring back the bandit! I remember Next G meeting it’s roll out time lines based on extension leads.

  • +1

    Well done OP u have a anker thread .

    • Rather have a powerbank thread

    • A Anker from Big W?

      • An rancor from star wars

  • Unless everyone starts being smarter and always thinking of the greater good (instead of their own pocket), then things will always go according to this principle: publicise the losses and privatise the profits

    • Privatise the profits and socialise the losses. They don't want to publicise it.

  • Geezus what is old becomes new again, surely not. Political passion fingers, whatever Governments touch they f..k.

  • +1

    Isn’t levity the guy who took an Uber to the auspost post vending machine and emptied it on livestream?

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