In all this NBN debate, no one seems to talk about data limits or allowances and cost, just speed. The speed means Jack shite to me, to an extent. I already have cable at 1000kb/s which is more than enough. What I want to know is how much can I have in data bits? 10 gig, 100 gig, a terabyte, what, at what cost? It's no use downloading at the speed of light if I get cut off after 10 seconds coz I've gone over my limit. What's my limit and for how much on the NBN? That to me is more important!

The biggest thing that stifles Australia's internet is data usage, not the speed. The duopoly has insured we pay through the nose so far. Will the NBN change that? Not from what I've been reading and not from what comrade Conroy has been preaching about his NBF (National Broadband Filter) coz that's what it really is!

All this bulldust about health and crap is all smoke. It's been possible for years, it's the data limits and cost that put it out of reach not the speed. People should be made aware that this NBF is nothing more than a means for the Fabians at the end of the red phone to sensor what you do at the speed a transistors gate changes polarity! They know that knowledge gives us power over them and they want to curb that. Can't have people that know how to pronounce Awstyraliya properly, they might vote for the other side! Or worse still, get out the old fashion tar and feathers, pitch forks and torches! After all most of us are just a bunch of extremest deniers ready for burning at the up and coming Awstyraliyan inquisition.

To quote Alan Kohler business editor:

"The failure, revealed yesterday, to get someone to build the thing within budget is huge, a remarkably significant setback for the NBN.

The NBN called for tenders 12 months ago for the $12 billion contract to build the main part of the fibre network. There were 45 bidders at the first stage and this was narrowed down to 14 firms that proceeded to the request for proposals (RFP) stage. Over the past six months, those 14 have been through four rounds of pricing negotiations with the NBN team, and yesterday the whole thing just fell over.

The NBN press release said it has "indefinitely suspended its network construction tender after construction companies were unable to provide acceptable terms and prices …" It added: "The NBN Co is confident it can secure better value for money by going a different route."

Incredible. It seems completely incompetent on the part of the NBN that this should happen. And what's the different route? I asked Communications Minister Stephen Conroy yesterday, and if he knew, he wasn't saying. He was full of flim-flam on the subject. I don't think there is a different route. I suspect yesterday's press release was an attempt at a door slam in the negotiation, trying to get someone to break ranks, which seems to have happened, according to John Durie in this morning's Australian. He says the NBN Co is now talking to a Leighton-Siemens joint venture about taking it over.

I put to Conroy that the construction budget must be too low. He said it is what it is, or words that effect, and said he was confident it would still be built on time and on budget. Yeah right, or words to that effect."

The following website might explain a few things:

http://newmatilda.com/2011/02/14/actually-were-not-paying-more-less

"Actually, We're Not Paying More For Less," by Colin Jacobs.

Interesting reading.

Heres a link about the uptake of the NBN super fast internet roll out in Tasmania SM

http://www.zdnet.com.au/100mbps-nbn-uptake-surprising-hackett-339308997.htm?omnRef=http%3A%2F%

Heres a link about the uptake of the NBN super fast internet roll out in Tasmania SM

Yes, Tasmania, about on fith the size of QLD.

Hardley what I would call a fair comparison hey!

Lexi,

Another political puff piece, devoid of real information. Really you could do better.

Instead of 24 times the cost, we are now looking at 30 times the cost, 3 years later. This is looking like another fantasy like the Epping rail line that was promised many times over 16 years by labor.