Prime Minister Julia Gillard and the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Stephen Conroy, yesterday announced an extension of the NBN rollout in Gungahlin. Work is already under way to deliver the NBN to 6,000 premises in Gungahlin, but that will grow to over 20,000 during the next 12 months. A detailed map [...]
Canberra ahead in internet usage
ZDNet posted an article yesterday showing Canberra is ahead of the rest of Australia when it comes to internet access and usage. The raw info comes from the ABS’s release of statistical data on the ACT and its feature on internet accessibility. 88% of Canberra households have access to the internet, and while this is [...]
All systems go for National Broadband Network
Minister Conroy released the National Broadband Implementation Study today, saying the study confirms the network is “achievable, viable and will transform life and business in Australia”. The major findings are: ■ Government’s objectives for the National Broadband Network can be implemented within the $43 billion estimate of capital expenditure by deploying fibre to 93 percent, [...]
CollabIT Launch
Billed as a program to “create a supportive environment to accelerate the growth of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) throughout the ACT region”, CollabIT was launched last night by Chief Minister Jon Stanhope at Regatta Point. Emerging from the highly successful Canberra.NET program, the Australian Information Industry Association has developed CollabIT to bring SMEs and [...]
Tsunami warnings miss the mark
The tsunami alert on Wednesday night was instructive in a number of ways. I first picked up the news of an earthquake on twitter and then followed the subsequent tsunami alerts for a number of hours. Being concerned about family & friends living on the coast, I gave them a call (to a fair bit [...]
ACT Solar Power Facility Public Consultation
The first round of public consultations for the ACT solar power facility finished last week. I’ve attached a PDF of the slideshow for info: Solar_Facility_Powerpoint_Presentation_June_2009 The criteria listed for selection of the site are: Cleared land with no significant shading Level land with a gentle gradient, preferably north-facing Land suitable for access roads Located near [...]
Energy Efficiency = Lower targets for renewables
My fave insightful webtoonist Stuart McMillen published his treatise on energy efficiency back in April. I thought it was worth reproducing here. The fundamental tenet is that as we continue to innovate appliances to reduce their energy usage, we can reduce our energy demand to a level that can be met by renewables.
Local ICT Market gets the wobbles
It’s a tough time in the Canberra ICT market at the moment. Darwin-based CSG is one of many organisations to shed local jobs over the past couple of months. CSG acquired the Commander/Volante business a while back and have struggled to retain existing federal government contracts such as the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry [...]
Solar Power Facility Sites
The community consultation process for the ACT’s solar power plant has kicked in – details are available here. Signage at the potential sites at Kowen and Ingledene will go up soon with public meetings being scheduled for June. A Context_Map is available showing both locations. I’m very excited about this project – it’s something I [...]
ACT InnovationConnect Grants announced
The Chief has announced the latest InnovationConnect grants. Winners of the dollar-for-dollar funding are: GPT Designs, a high-tech Canberra manufacturer of audio equipment for the hearing impaired, received $40,000 to develop a system to help the hearing impaired in large venues such as stadiums and concert halls; Ingenate was awarded $25,000 to develop a solution [...]


