tomw I would like to see more of you here.
I feel some threads are not for open debate.
But to put a point of view while rebutting all others.
A selected story is often used and supportive ones ignored.
We will get our NBN and I would like to be around five years after to hear those saying it is useless trying to forget their words.

Dear Belly,

I don't believe that anyone thinks that the NBN will be useless.
The question is, whether that will be for good uses, or for bad uses.

One obvious good use is that you will get a decent phone and interenet connection despite living in the bush, which you should. The question remains, why should city-people, 91% of Australians, be punished for it as well.

As I see it, the NBN will only accelerate the electronic-gadget madness: not only the self-imposed addiction, but demands to use the available technology will be imposed by others.

Some banks, for example, already prevent me from opening an account with them because I have no mobile phone and many employers already demand that their employees have one of those harmful monsters attached to their wasteline at all times. Think what they will expect once they know a super-fast network is available at your home... the first shot is SURVEILENCE. It will become standard for your boss to demand that you install monitoring cameras in every room of your home. If you are tired at work, they can make sure you have lights-out at 9pm; If you want a raise, they will check what food you consume for supper; If you claim sick, they will check that you are in bed all this time. If you day-dream, they will investigate your love-life...

What's next? the government of course. They will want to ensure that you raise your children well (by their standards), that you are not cheating Centerlink, that you obeserve all their laws, that you do not overeat, that you do not speak against them: A hole in the fence invites the burgler in, and such a capacity for surveilence is something no government be able to refuse - the ultimate wet dream of every socialist beaurocrat!

More and more vendors of household goods will demand that their products are connected to your network for remote-operation, "safety" and "for the warranty" (eg. for finding about your habits so they can promote new products). No connection - the product will refuse to work.

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Schools will demand that your children do their homework on the computer, not with you the parent, so you lose that little bit of chance of quality-time when you can educate them your way, not the government's way. Of course they will also demand that the children socialise through, and only through, their computer-network, to ensure they are supervised and to further increase the chasm between them and you, the parent.

Next will come compulsory brainwashing-programs, re-education, where they can actually check that you are awake, listening an complying. As the technology will allow most prison sentences to be served in home-detention, in front of the screen(s), which is so much cheaper for the tax-payer, sentences will be increased with mandatory home-jail for every petty offence (such as J-walking).

You think that you will be able to watch all that entertainment and High-Definition movies: No - you will be FORCED to watch that crap whether you like it or not. You will be tested on its contents and receive a remote electric-shock when you doze off.

1984 is around the corner. Julia must be extremely happy about it!

I'm with you Belly :)

I want the NBN.
I can't imagine why any Government would spend so much money on working out such a scheme if they didn't think it would eventually be worth it.

People deserve good quality internet, all over the country and not just in the cities.

Think of all the medical uses such a fast broadband could allow patients in country/bush areas to access. Think of all the money saved by not having to transport patients to cities, when surgeons and specialists could treat them online, if only they had a faster internet connection.

I doubt any Government would throw away what must be millions of dollars already spent on getting the NBN up to the stage it is at now?

Stopping it now really would be a waste of money.

"I can't imagine why any Government would spend so much money on working out such a scheme if they didn't think it would eventually be worth it."

For them it probably will be worth it. For the people in the bush maybe too, but would it be worth it for you and me?

Then why?

Because it will give them more control.
Because it's their plan to punish and take revenge on Telstra for being a privately-owned monopoly.
Because they promised their friends and kin great jobs in NBNCO.
Because it has meanwhile become a big party-political issue which they obviously cannot afford to let go, in case people say that "Liberals/Tony was wiser".

All the reasons you gave, Suzeonline, are good for people in the bush (unless the resulting government-control will outweigh those benefits), which means that the NBN should be implemented ONLY in the country/bush, not in the cities/suburbs. If you think of it, it may even be an incentive for people to move out to the country, so if that happens, I am even happy to pull my weight as a tax-payer for that.

Some of the comments are becoming quite concerning, control?
OH well lets move on this mornings headlines are an attempt to create a story .
So very often they are, we are told the numbers opting out of home phone lines is increasing and a danger to the NBN.
Well no, I left because land lines cost too much rental is more than the bill.
After the NBN combining all in to one gives three times the service at a very cheap rate, I would run back to it.
By the way Egypt attempt at freedom was born on the INTERNET ,not bad for young game players.