Australia highlights importance of broadband, league tables

Australia’s experience in its current General Election has shown that broadband matters to citizens, and that international league tables matter to governments.

Speaking at a Westminster eForum event on ‘Delivering Next Generation Broadband’, Antony Walker highlighted key lessons for the UK from the current Australian experience.

The fact that, according to The Australian, “for many voters… broadband could be the election issue that decides who gets their vote??? shows how broadband has become an integral part of individuals’ lives, and inferior access is a real concern for them.

The experience also demonstrated the importance of international comparisons, as much of the debate in Australia was driven by Australia’s low ranking in OECD league tables. This was reflected in Recommendation 3 in the BSG’s ‘Pipe Dreams?’ report, which proposed government targets to ensure the UK remains in the upper quartile of OECD nations in terms of broadband reach and quality.

Antony Walker, ‘The growth of broadband in Britain’ – full speech