One down, two to go: public policy in service of an available, affordable and accessible National Broadband Network for people with disability

'What may be gained from thinking about disability and technology differently is potentially a great deal more than commonly thought' (Goggin & Newell 2004, 419). Almost all the policy and politics surrounding the NBN to date has been concerned with supply-side issues pertinent to building the network to ensure the universal availability of broadband services. However, there has not been any specific affordability or accessibility policy considerations to address the needs of people with disability as a particularly interested user group. People with disability can showcase and lead consumer demand for the high capacity broadband capabilities of the NBN given their desire and need for immersive multi-media based communications. This paper suggests some options to address these issues utilising current policy levers available to the Australian Government, including the Universal Service Obligation and the National Disability Strategy.