The NBN Futures Forum: Realising the User Potential of the NBN Realising the User Potential of the NBN

Abstract

On 22 October 2019, TelSoc held its second NBN Futures Forum in Melbourne on the theme of realising the user potential of Australia’s National Broadband Network. Four speakers discussed various aspects of usage, including digital inclusion, access and affordability, broadband-enabled services, and service pricing. While the NBN has increased access to broadband, affordability remains an issue and the evidence suggests that gaps in digital inclusion are not being closed. The New Zealand experience suggests that demand for high-speed broadband will continue to grow if wholesale and retail prices are appropriately set. The cost of the NBN rollout remains a challenge for wholesale prices. Various improvements in affordability, including direct subsidies for low-income households, were canvassed.