In Brief: Aussies outline rural broadband campaign

June 9, 2006

Australia's long-awaited plan to expand rural broadband will involve two or three large-scale projects with an AUD3.1 billion ($2.3 billion) price tag.

Communications Minister Helen Coonan said Thursday that the decision on who would get the funding would be made around the end of the year, and that industry consortiums and joint ventures would be welcome.

Initial expenditures will include about $800 million in capital grants for various projects covered by the $1.1 billion regional broadband fund, The Australian reported.

The program comes as the government is preparing to sell its stake in national telco Telstra. Coonan denied that involving Telstra's rival in the lucrative rural expansion plan would dilute Telstra's value.

Rate this story - 1 /5 (1 vote)

rank
1
2
3
4
5

view popular

Other News

Government delays new ban on Internet gambling

Technology / Internet

10 hours ago | 3 / 5 (2) | 0

(AP) -- The Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve are giving U.S. financial institutions an additional six months to comply with regulations designed to ban Internet gambling.

Fujitsu Develops Technology for Low-Temperature Full-Service Direct Formation of Graphene Transistors on Large-Scale Sub

Technology / Semiconductors

10 hours ago | 5 / 5 (5) | 1

Fujitsu Laboratories today announced, as a world first, the development of a novel technology for forming graphene transistors directly on the entire surface of large-scale insulating substrates at low temperatures ...

Teachers begin using cell phones for class lessons

Technology / Hi Tech

7 hours ago | 3 / 5 (1) | 0

(AP) -- Ariana Leonard's high school students shuffled in their seats, eagerly awaiting a cue from their Spanish teacher that the assignment would begin. "Take out your cell phones," she said in Spanish.

Signal fading on radio traffic reports

Technology / Other

9 hours ago | not rated yet | 1

(AP) -- For more than 20 years, Mike Nolan was known to radio listeners as the "eye in the sky." He flew over Southern California freeways in his single-engine plane, reporting on the nation's worst traffic.

Semantic research sets world standards

Technology / Computer Sciences

17 hours ago | 3.3 / 5 (3) | 1

(PhysOrg.com) -- European researchers have created new tools for semantic technology development which are helping to set the next generation of official standards. The tools also unblock some key bottlenecks ...