http://www.thepunch.com.au/author-bios/michael-de-percy/ Michael lectures in the Faculty of Business and Government at the University of Canberra. His research focuses on comparative communications policy and regulation from a political science perspective. When the Internet works properly, he teaches government-business relations and leadership, innovation & change in a fully Web 2.0 environment. en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-nbns-the-culmination-of-150-years-of-cock-ups/ Yesterday’s announcement that the NBN finally made it to the mainland was good news for the many Australians who have deplorable access to broadband services. But why did it take so long? Simple: Australia’s communications policy-makers are bounded by a centrally-controlled, single-solution approach that has been around since the time of the telegraph. This model leaves no room for innovation, encourages contractors to artificially inflate prices, and stalls whenever a skeleton can be found in the closet of the head honcho of NBN Co. When the Canadian Samuel McGowan brought the telegraph to Victoria in 1853, his plan to become a telegraph entrepreneur was thwarted by the Victorian government’s decision to rollout the telegraph network as a public monopoly. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Michael de Percy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-nbns-the-culmination-of-150-years-of-cock-ups/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-nbns-the-culmination-of-150-years-of-cock-ups/#item5879 Wed, 18 May 2011 19:55:47 +0000 Michael de Percy | Author bios | The Punch