Displaying items by tag: DBCDE

The Australian Government’s minibudget, otherwise known as its Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO), has left the IT industry alone.

Communications minister senator Stephen Conroy has commited the Gillard Government to funding the Australian Communications Consumers Action Network (ACCAN) to the tune of $2m per year until 2017.

The Australian and New Zealand Governments has issued a joint report into trans-Tasman roaming charges that canvasses a number of options designed to lead to lower charges. Not surprisingly it "finds telecommunication companies are making excessive profits from trans-Tasman mobile roaming charges."

The Government has launched a 13 week trial on ABC TV, of audio description to explain to people with vision impairments what is happening during TV programs, while they also listen to the soundtrack.

Stay Smart Online, the Federal Government website designed to educate Australians about cyber security risks, has managed to lose details of a large number of its subscribers.

The Government has decided to extend retail price controls imposed on Telstra for a further two years, to June 2014, ensuring that local calls will cost no more than 22 cents and that local calls from payphones will not rise above their current 50 cents.

Criticism from regional residents about NBN Co's rollout plans could be misplaced, as the fixed wireless and satellite services will be complete long before the fibre network.

The Federal Government is to stage a Telework Week in November "to showcase benefits of working from home" and to, hopefully, increase demand for services delivered over the NBN.

DBCDE has called tenders for the provision of economic consultancy advice as part of the joint Australia-New Zealand investigation into trans-Tasman mobile roaming costs.

The organisation engaged by the government to review NBN Co's corporate plan reportedly told the government that NBN Co capex would total $50.8b by 2028, as opposed to NBN Co's estimate of $35.9b by 2020.

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has drawn a line under a tender process to select the media organisation to run the Australia Network - a ten-year, $230 million contract - terminating the tender on the advice of the Australian Government Solicitor.

A recent survey of teleworkers in the US found over two thirds received no security training from their IT team and a third never backed up their data.  One of the stated aims of the NBN is to increase teleworking.  We see a problem here.

The CEO of NBN Co and the secretary of the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy have written a joint letter to the ACCC urging it to accept Telstra's proposal to cease delivering broadband services over its HFC network - as negotiated with the government.

The Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (DBCDE) to develop and promote the digital economy in Australia

The Department of Broadband Communications and the Digital Economy in conjunction with the AIIA is to host a telework forum to help identify how Australian businesses and government agencies can use the catalyst of the NBN to boost the teleworking rate.

The Federal Budget has allocated $34.4m over five years to DBCDE for additional work to support the finalisation of definitive agreements between Telstra and NBN Co and $12.8m to the ACMA and the ACCC to set up the regulatory framework for the NBN.

The corporate advisory firm retained by the Government to assess NBN Co's corporate plan has told the Government to keep a close watch on the organisation in order to manage its risks as the sole investor in NBN Co, warning that the normal reporting requirement for government business enterprises are inadequate.

Global PR company Weber Shandwick has been appointed by the Department of Broadband Communications and the Digital Economy to spruik the NBN, with DBCDE putting its own spin on the announcement by trying to suggest that Weber Shandwick is an Australian company.

A program from the Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy makes it easier for children - or anyone else, for that matter - to seek help when they feel threatened online.

Crucial decisions about the National Broadband Network's engineering design and points of interconnect topology that will have a direct impact on service pricing are expected by the end of the month.