Outcomes from the ACS-TSA NBN Policy Forums, June 2011

This paper summarises the principal outcomes from the NBN (National Broadband Network) policy forums held by the Australian Computer Society's chapter, the Telecommunications Society of Australia, in Melbourne and Sydney on June 28 and 30 respectively, with twelve speakers and a total audience of 121. The forums, stimulated by eleven papers on NBN policy gaps published in the May 2011 issue of the Telecommunications Journal of Australia, were designed to get industry reaction and contributions to NBN policy gaps that need to be fixed to ensure successful commercial outcomes together with confident and satisfied customers, as well as identifying opportunities for socially valuable high-speed broadband applications. The key outcomes focus on the need for further action by Australian federal government agencies on technical regulation, support of an updated Regulated Telephone Service (to replace the Standard Telephone Service), and raising awareness of broadband's benefits amongst the community.