Limited News from News Limited

News Limited have continued their hatchet job against anything remotely resembling social and/or technological progress initiated by the Labor government. This morning's Daily Telegraph features an "article" telling us, the loyal readers, how the total cost of Comrade Conroy's National Broadband Network (usually suffixed with "debacle", "fiasco" or other emotive noun in News Limited's coverage) may exceed $90 BILLION. CRISIS!!

The source of this figure?

"...new analysis contained in the Coalition's broadband policy."

Hmmmm. The Tele citing a policy document that's not yet released and one which may just be a little bit self-interested. Sounds like quality journalism to me.

A leaked version of what is believed to be the cover of the Coalition's "BROADBAND POLICY!" (sic) Source: protected.

Just between you and me, if I wanted to read something of substance on the NBN, I would just jump straight to Nick Ross's epic piece on the differences between the Government's plan and the Coalition's hitherto-known broadband policy.  

Of course, in the Daily Telegraph, the most important paragraph is left right until the end of the article, a place most Tele readers never reach:

"Sections of the ICT industry have also claimed that while the Coalition's policy may reduce the cost of the NBN in the short term, it could drive the cost higher in the future due to what they claim are the inevitable upgrades to the system from not going fully fibre in the first place."

Of course when it says "sections" of the ICT industry, journalist Simon Benson was obviously meant to write "most companies in the ICT industry whose opinions actually matter".

We might be able to get some clarity on this issue once Mr. Turnbull releases his party's broadband policy. 

The computer Malcolm Turnbull has reportedly been using to write the Coalition's broadband policy. Not pictured: Creative 28.8k OzEmail modem. Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tehboris/442351863/ (Creative Commons)

But when it is finally released, after being typed up in WordPerfect 5.1 and printed on the Liberal party room's IBM 5182, we can be assured that the Coalition's misinformation campaign will continue, probably using their favourite false analogies likening fundamental communications technologies such as fibre optic to Rolls-Royces.

I can only hope that the opening line of the Coalition's broadband policy paper is:

"While the Coalition's broadband system will be much cheaper, it won't be anywhere near as fast or as effective in the long-term as the existing NBN plan."

I think Labor has more hope of winning the seat of Higgins than of that sentence, or any policy substance, appearing in the Coalition's policy paper.