R[0]="877"; T[0]="Coonan's $3.1bn bush broadband plan"; A[0]="By ... Editor"; Dn[0]="20060609"; Dt[0]="Friday 9 June 2006"; Acats[0]="a46a47"; B1[0]=" The federal Government will target two or three large-scale broadband projects with funding of up to $3.1 billion as it grapples with "; B2[0]="ways of bring high-speed internet access to rural and regional Australia... "; B3[0]=" "; B4[0]=" "; B5[0]=" "; S1[0]=" The federal Government will target two or three large-scale broadband projects with funding of up to $3.1 billion as it grapples with "; S2[0]=" ways of bring high-speed internet access to rural and regional Australia.
The push raises the prospect that Telstra will face renewed competition "; S3[0]=" in the bush as the Government prepares to sell all or part of its stake in the company for up to $24 billion.
"; S4[0]=" 'Industry collaboration, consortiums and partnerships that can support such large-scale projects would certainly be encouraged but are not mandatory,' Communications Minister Helen Coonan said "; S5[0]=" in Wagga Wagga yesterday as she called for expressions of interest in the fund.
But Senator Coonan denied that giving hundreds of "; S6[0]=" millions of dollars to Telstra's rivals would have any effect on the price the Government might receive for its stake in Telstra.
"; S7[0]=" Telstra, which banked 60 per cent of the $157.8 million higher bandwidth incentive scheme, will be eligible to gain funds under the scheme.
"; S8[0]=" The telco giant was initially unsure about whether it would participate in Broadband Connect but is now believed to have a group in its "; S9[0]=" Countrywide division working on a detailed bid.
'I don't think it will affect T3,' Senator Coonan said.
'The decision "; S10[0]=" on who gets funding won't be made until the end of the year.' The Government must make a decision on the timing and shape of "; S11[0]=" the Telstra sale in the next month or so.
In a deal with the National Party to have legislation for the Telstra "; S12[0]=" sale passed last year, the Government agreed to set aside $3.1 billion for regional telecommunications.
Of that, $1.1 billion will be made "; S13[0]=" available from July next year.
The bulk of this, $878 million, is for Broadband Connect.
In front of the "; S14[0]=" queue for the funding is regional pay-TV company Austar, which will target a grant of up to $300 million for its AUS alliance with telcos "; S15[0]=" Soul and Unwired.
The group has banded together in a bid to deploy broadband wireless networks across regional Australia using technology known "; S16[0]=" as wi-max.
Austar has already committed $50 million of its shareholders funds to install wi-max in 27 large regional centres.
"; S17[0]=" 'It (will) cost $50 million to pass 750,000 homes and $300 million to pass the next 750,000,' Austar chief executive John Porter said.
"; S18[0]=" The company yesterday launched its first regional service in Wagga Wagga and will launch a second trial network in Queensland before building out "; S19[0]=" its network by the end of next year.
Less certain of success is a group of seven fixed-line players - led by "; S20[0]=" Optus, AAPT, Powertel and Macquarie Telecom - which is investigating a fibre-optic network but is still in the very early stages of developing a plan.
"; S21[0]=" The Government will initially hand out up to $800 million in capital grants for a range of projects in its $1.1 billion "; S22[0]=" regional broadband fund.
The Government has also set aside a $2billion fund for so-called future-proofing of regional telecommunications.
The "; S23[0]=" original $1 billion Networking the Nation project, funded by the sale of the first two tranches of Telstra, resulted in precious little long-term benefit.
"; S24[0]=" Its administration was slammed by a National Audit Office report, and a number of businesses funded by the project have since gone bust... "; R[1]="791"; T[1]="World Environment Day - a time to act. Recycle your old mobiles"; A[1]="By ... Editor"; Dn[1]="20060601"; Dt[1]="Thursday 1 June 2006"; Acats[1]="a42a47"; B1[1]=" Are you one of the 67 percent of mobile phone users who have one or more mobile phones at home not being "; B2[1]="used?.. "; B3[1]=" "; B4[1]=" "; B5[1]=" "; S1[1]=" Are you one of the 67 percent of mobile phone users who have one or more mobile phones at home not being "; S2[1]=" used? Don't let them go to waste or end up in the bin - make a difference this World Environment Day on Monday, June 5, "; S3[1]=" 2006, and hand 'em in for recycling at your local Telstra Shop, Optus World, Vodafone store and 3 Shop.
MobileMuster, the mobile "; S4[1]=" phone industry's official recycling program, was launched in December last year.
This voluntary initiative is fully funded by the industry and it "; S5[1]=" aims to boost collection numbers, halve the percentage of mobiles going to landfill and increase community awareness.
Research
"; S6[1]=" * conducted in March 2006 shows that awareness of mobile phone recycling has increased since March 2005 by 8%, up from 46% to 54%.
"; S7[1]=" This increase in awareness is also reflected in collection figures with the tonnage of mobiles collected for the March 2006 quarter up nearly "; S8[1]=" 19% on the March 2005 quarter.
Collections increased from 9.4 tonne to 11.5 tonne.
Correspondingly, fewer people threw out "; S9[1]=" their unused phones, down from 9% to 5% over the past 12 months.
'This is a great first step, but we still "; S10[1]=" have a long way to go if we are to achieve our target of trebling collections by the end of 2008,' said Rose Read, Manager "; S11[1]=" of the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association's recycling program.
'Our research also found that more people, up from 42% to 52%, are keeping "; S12[1]=" their old mobiles even if they aren't working.
The estimated number of mobiles stashed away at home has increased from 12 to "; S13[1]=" 16 million.
'While it is okay to keep your old mobiles tucked away at home, especially if they are still working, it's "; S14[1]=" important that people don't let them end up in the bin when they clean out their drawers at home.
'Over 90% of "; S15[1]=" the materials in mobiles are recovered during the recycling process and used to make great new products.
'By recycling you will be "; S16[1]=" helping turn your old technology into great new products such as jewellery, batteries, stainless steel products and fence posts', Ms Read said.
"; S17[1]=" This World Environment Day, Monday, June 5, 2006, round up those old mobile phones, batteries and accessories at home and hand 'em in at your "; S18[1]=" local mobile phone retailer where you see the MobileMuster logo.
To find your local drop off point go to www.mobilemuster.com.au, click on "; S19[1]=" the big green Hand 'em in button and enter your postcode or call 1300 730 070.
Since the program started in late "; S20[1]=" 1998 Australians have recycled over 350 tonnes of mobile phones, batteries and accessories.
This equals almost 1.5 million batteries and over half "; S21[1]=" a million handsets... "; R[2]="746"; T[2]="Problems predicted for rural network"; A[2]="By ... Editor"; Dn[2]="20060523"; Dt[2]="Tuesday 23 May 2006"; Acats[2]="a47"; B1[2]=" Country people have been told what many already know - they will probably experience problems when Telstra launches its new $1billion mobile "; B2[2]="network in 2008... "; B3[2]=" "; B4[2]=" "; B5[2]=" "; S1[2]=" Country people have been told what many already know - they will probably experience problems when Telstra launches its new $1billion mobile "; S2[2]=" network in 2008.
While it was doing everything it could to avoid problems, the company told a Senate hearing yesterday it could "; S3[2]=" not run two networks side by side for more than six months.
This prompted Nationals senator Fiona Nash to call for tougher "; S4[2]=" licensing conditions that would only allow Telstra to shut down the CDMA network once its replacement had achieved equivalent coverage.
'It is "; S5[2]=" certainly something that should be considered,' Senator Nash said.
'I will be raising the issue with the minister to discuss the possibility "; S6[2]=" of (imposing a licensing condition).' A spokeswoman for Communication Minister Helen Coonan did not rule out the possibility.
Telstra has previously given "; S7[2]=" assurances its 3G coverage in regional Australia would be at least as good as the existing CDMA network.
'My point about the "; S8[2]=" licence condition is that if Telstra are so sure that they are going to be able to do coverage equivalent to or better than (the "; S9[2]=" CDMA network), then a licence condition shouldn't be a problem for them,' Senator Nash said.
'I don't feel that comfortable when Telstra "; S10[2]=" says, 'Just trust us'.
I think we need to be a bit more careful than that and to have some things in "; S11[2]=" place so that regional people aren't disadvantaged.' Nationals MP Paul Neville, who heads the influential backbench committee on communications, said Telstra chief executive Sol Trujillo "; S12[2]=" had personally assured the party that the 3G network would have equivalent coverage in regional Australia.
'That's an understanding that Sol Trujillo "; S13[2]=" gave the National party when he met them,' Mr Neville said.
'I'm sure that Telstra could have no objection to that licensing "; S14[2]=" condition, because Mr Trujillo gave that understanding to the Nationals.' At the Senate hearing, Telstra wireless technology chief Max Jennings said Telstra had charged Ericsson "; S15[2]=" with stretching the distance that base stations can send signals from 70km to 200km.
At the moment, calls will only reach 100km, "; S16[2]=" Mr Jennings said.
PBL executive chairman James Packer yesterday added his voice to calls for faster internet services either from existing players "; S17[2]=" such as Telstra, or from new entrants.
'Australia's position in this area is embarrassing,' Mr Packer told a Ninemsn digital marketing conference "; S18[2]=" in Sydney.
'We need faster broadband to be competitive with the rest of the world,' he said.
'Australia needs "; S19[2]=" government policy and regulatory certainty to encourage the provision of unmetered fast broadband whether by the incumbents and or by other providers.' Mr Packer said "; S20[2]=" capped download broadband plans offered in Australia were 'very unusual' compared with other countries and 'huge consumer demand for online video' was dependent on improvements "; S21[2]=" to the existing infrastructure.
He said more than 2 million video streams a month were being downloaded from Ninemsn... "; R[3]="516"; T[3]="Pay Phones Essential in Rural Australia"; A[3]="By ... NFF"; Dn[3]="20060223"; Dt[3]="Thursday 23 February 2006"; Acats[3]="a04a05a47"; B1[3]=" Responding to reports today that Testra will cut its pay phones services, the National Farmers' Federation (NFF) is seeking a detailed explanation "; B2[3]="from Government and Telstra on how services will continue to be provided... "; B3[3]=" "; B4[3]=" "; B5[3]=" "; S1[3]=" Responding to reports today that Testra will cut its pay phones services, the National Farmers' Federation (NFF) is seeking a detailed explanation "; S2[3]=" from Government and Telstra on how services will continue to be provided.
'Telstra has Universal Service Obligation's (USO) it is required to "; S3[3]=" meet as part of its licence condition, and so NFF would expect the Government to ensure this Obligation is upheld,' NFF President, Mr Peter Corish "; S4[3]=" said today.'Not all of rural Australia has mobile coverage and even where coverage exists not everyone has a mobile phone, particularly low income earners.'Of course "; S5[3]=" even if people have a mobile, basic pay phone services are essential in some cases, particularly emergencies.
'As a result, NFF is "; S6[3]=" currently seeking to better understand how Telstra will fulfil its pay phone obligations under the Government USO,' Mr Corish said... "; R[4]="355"; T[4]="Cheaper Internet for bush"; A[4]="By ... Editor"; Dn[4]="20060222"; Dt[4]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[4]="a04a46a47"; B1[4]=" Country Queenslanders will have access to cheaper and faster broadband Internet connections after energy retailer Ergon confirmed it will compete with Telstra "; B2[4]="in the broadband market... "; B3[4]=" "; B4[4]=" "; B5[4]=" "; S1[4]=" Country Queenslanders will have access to cheaper and faster broadband Internet connections after energy retailer Ergon confirmed it will compete with Telstra "; S2[4]=" in the broadband market.
Ergon Energy said yesterday that its telecommunication arm, Nexium Telecommunications, had struck a deal which will see an "; S3[4]=" Internet service provider deliver broadband connections.
Ergon claimed the connections would cost as little as $25 a month and operate at speeds "; S4[4]=" of up to 80 times basic ADSL speeds in Brisbane.
The new service, which is scheduled to begin next month, is regarded "; S5[4]=" as a landmark in breaking Telstra's monopoly on public Internet infrastructure in Queensland.
The scheme will see the Internet transmitted from Brisbane "; S6[4]=" through fibre-optic cable owned by the power companies.
The service will offer broadband to regional users at little more than some city "; S7[4]=" dial-up rates and will begin in Townsville.
Nexium Telecommunications general manager Andrew Deme said the power companies had enough fibre-optic capacity to "; S8[4]=" supply the entire Internet needs of nine Queensland regional centres.
They were Townsville, Cairns, Mackay, Rockhampton, Toowoomba, Maryborough, Gladstone, Dalby and Bundaberg.
"; S9[4]=" National Party Senator Barnaby Joyce yesterday said some of the proceeds from the sale of Telstra should be diverted to enable the "; S10[4]=" power companies' Internet network to be extended to rural Australia.
'As soon as we get another platform out there, we're going to "; S11[4]=" have true competition,' Senator Joyce said.
The deal involving Townsville will see Internet speeds 10 to 10,000 times faster than current rural "; S12[4]=" Internet speeds delivered.
Nexium, acting for Ergon Energy, Powerlink and other consortium members, sells its Internet bandwidth wholesale to broadband company Uecomm.
"; S13[4]=" Uecomm in turn is onselling the bandwidth to Internet service providers - companies that deal directly with the public.
"; S14[4]=" In Townsville, service provider Regional Internet Australia is already taking pre-registrations.
RIA chief executive Warren Thomson said RIA had shopped around "; S15[4]=" and 'weeded out' less acceptable wholesale deals before settling on the power companies' solution.
He said the only Telstra involvement in "; S16[4]=" the rollout was in 'the last mile' where the ADSL2+ Internet went through a Telstra exchange into residents' homes.
RIA said it "; S17[4]=" was providing equipment to ensure fast speeds were sustained through the copper wire network.
Ergon Energy's decision to roll out fibre-optic cable "; S18[4]=" initially was directed at boosting the electricity network's reliability by providing new power monitoring systems.
But Mr Deme said the bandwidth left "; S19[4]=" over had provided enough spare capacity to connect entire towns and cities.
Nexium and an alliance between BHP Billiton and Mitsubishi already "; S20[4]=" had achieved high-speed broadband links between 14 Bowen Basin mine.. "; R[5]="299"; T[5]="Better communication improves profitability for farmers"; A[5]="By ... Editor"; Dn[5]="20060222"; Dt[5]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[5]="a02a20a46a47a72"; B1[5]=" Tully cane farming families and partnerships will have the opportunity to learn how to maximise the benefits of planning and decision-making through "; B2[5]="better communication... "; B3[5]=" "; B4[5]=" "; B5[5]=" "; S1[5]=" Tully cane farming families and partnerships will have the opportunity to learn how to maximise the benefits of planning and decision-making through "; S2[5]=" better communication.
Too often members of a family business assume that all is well when in reality there is some underlying dissatisfaction.
"; S3[5]=" Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries FutureCane project is hosting a workshop in Tully this month to help farmers use communication to "; S4[5]=" make the most of their business prospects.
FutureCane business development officer Terry Reid said the workshop, entitled Improving profitability through communication, aimed "; S5[5]=" to help farmers tackle such difficult issues as talking with wives, brothers, sons, daughters and husbands about planning for the future and making significant changes "; S6[5]=" in their business.
The workshop presenter, Lyn Sykes, a rural family communication specialist, will conduct the workshop in the Tully Mill Hall "; S7[5]=" on Thursday, November 24, 9am to 3:30pm.
Issues she will cover include: ' Decision making -where it can go wrong, how to "; S8[5]=" make it better.
' Principles of good communication like listening.
' Separating family and business issues ' How to "; S9[5]=" maximise family members contributions to the business ' Appreciating different roles within the family ' Increasing income through enhanced communication skills Ms Sykes, who is "; S10[5]=" based in Dubbo, New South Wales, works with producers throughout rural and regional Australia in developing effective communication, especially in relation to the family business.
"; S11[5]=" She is often in demand for her practical, educational and humorous speeches among private and government organisations.
'Ms Sykes "; S12[5]=" will give you insight and ideas on how to make your family life and business life move together in a positive direction,' Mr Reid said.
"; S13[5]=" 'If you are interested in improving the profitability of your farm business or planning the intergenerational transfer of your farm assets and "; S14[5]=" business, then this workshop will be important to you.' Numbers are limited and registration is required to ensure sponsorship through the FarmBis program.
"; S15[5]=" To secure your place please RSVP by November 21 to Gwen Arcidiacono on 4068 2214 or Tully Canegrowers on 4068 1077.
"; S16[5]=" Cost of the workshop is $35 per business, conditional on FarmBis Group Training Grant eligibility.
FutureCane is hosting the workshop in partnership "; S17[5]=" with FarmBis, Tully Canegrowers, FNQ ACC Small Business Answers, Centacare, Relationship Australia and local businesses... ";