Broadband Access Research Report - Impact on Global Economics

This report examines various aspects of broadband access, including initiatives contributing to global access, the status of Australia's National Broadband Network (NBN), digital divides within Australia, countries with the lowest internet access rates, and the benefits of high-speed broadband. The report highlights the impact of national plans in countries like the US, Chile, and Brazil, as well as the evolution of Finland's approach. It analyzes the NBN's implementation, customer satisfaction, and political interference. The digital divide within Australia is discussed, referencing income and geographical disparities. The report identifies countries with the most affordable broadband rates, such as Ukraine, Venezuela, and Russia. Finally, it emphasizes the advantages of high-speed broadband, including reduced buffering, support for multiple users, and faster loading times, ultimately contributing to user well-being. The conclusion summarizes the findings, noting the potential for plan failure and political influence.

Running head: BROADBAND ACCESS RESEARCH
Broadband access research
Name of the Student:
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Table of Contents
1. Introduction:......................................................................................................................................2
2. Initiatives that contributed to broadband access across countries...................................................2
3. Status of Australian national broadband plan...................................................................................2
4. Digital divides within Australia..........................................................................................................3
5. Countries having lowest internet access rates...................................................................................3
6. Benefits because of high speed broadband.......................................................................................4
7. Conclusion:........................................................................................................................................4
8. References:........................................................................................................................................5

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1. Introduction:
The cost of broadband access is plummeting day by day. With the advent of less expensive
technology, the prices of broadband are going down as well. Broadband access enables for a user
access to wide range of resources which is beneficial for the individual. In this report research will be
done on infrastructure initiatives around the world, status of Australian national broadband plan,
digital divide within Australia, countries having lowest broadband access rates and benefits of high
speed broadband.
2. Initiatives that contributed to broadband access across countries.
In the case of US, a national broadband plan was hatched in the year 2010 and the date was
March 17. The main focus of the plan was to ensure spectrum management, infrastructure sharing,
competition policy and regulation. The creation of ‘connect America fund’ which was proposed by
the plan will ensure for the next ten years, a speed up to 4 mbps. Additionally, telecommunication
department of Chile has been conduction extensive research to ensure broadband access at rural
areas at an affordable rate. On the date of May 7, 2010 Brazil one of the fastest growing economies
announced a broadband plan estimated at around 7.5 billion US dollars [1]. Finland was the first
country to identify broadband access as a civil right. All these plans helped million of citizens around
the world.
3. Status of Australian national broadband plan.
NBN (National broadband network) is a data network project undertaken by the Australian
government. Wired connection or broadband connection would provide to citizen speed up to 100
Megabit per second [2]. However, after Abbott government was elected in 2013, speed was
downgraded to a minimum of 25 Megabit per second. It was the largest project in history of
Australia but still it was a lingering issue in federal elections and it was subject to political

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interference. Project cost jumped because of cost approximated by successive governments. In a
2017 report, it was shown that 40 % of NBN customers are not satisfied and this leads to the idea
about poor implementation. Customers were dissatisfied since speed was not up to the mark and
also there were frequent disruption in the service.
4. Digital divides within Australia.
As divisions are persisting in Australia, digital divide is continuing to narrow. There are stark
disparities among different groups in their use of internet. Australian bureau of Statistics has helped
in the collection and analysis of data. 85 per cent of users aged 15 and above were internet users
and in the year of 2014 to 2015, 86 per cent of Australian households had internet access [3]. But
the picture is not so rosy. At one end, 94 per cent of ACT households enjoy access whereas only 82
per cent of South Australian and Tasmanian households have internet access. This is mainly because
of income inequality that exists among users. Geography is also a factor in a sense remote or rural
areas have lesser access when compared to cities.
5. Countries having lowest internet access rates.
There are six cheapest countries which offer low broadband rates. The first one is Ukraine. A
10 megabit per second connection in Ukraine costs about roughly 3.23 US dollars per month. The
next country is Venezuela; here the access rates are 3.94 US dollars. The third country is Russia.
Although there are downsides in Russia but still the broadband is affordable and the rate is 6.35 US
dollars a month. The fourth country is Romania and a 10 megabit connection costs about 7.36
United States dollars [4]. The fifth country is Bulgaria and the price of 10 megabit connection cost
about 8.38 US dollars a month. The sixth country is Belarus and broadband access costs about 9.40
US dollars. This low rates is achieved only because public private partnership.

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6. Benefits because of high speed broadband.
There are several benefits of subscribing to a high speed broadband. First of all, there is
reduced buffering or no buffering at all. Buffering can cause unnecessary anxiety. Secondly, because
of faster speed multiple users can access resources without causing the net to slow down
significantly [6]. Additional requirement would include reduced buffering during video calls and
faster loading of web pages [5]. Additionally, many websites are now media rich and these results in
more lading time and high speed broadband can easily overcome those issues. All these will result in
wellbeing and less frustration for individuals.
7. Conclusion:
From this report, it can be observed that extensive research has been performed on
initiatives contributing to broadband access, status of National broadband plan of Australia, digital
divides within Australia, countries with lowest access rates and benefits of high speed broadband.
Additionally, it can be concluded that due to a poor thought out plan, a plan might fail and political
interference may also be a contributing factor.

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8. References:
[1]"Digital Inclusion: Beyond Access to Broadband", Information and Communications for
Development, 2018. [Online]. Available: http://blogs.worldbank.org/ic4d/digital-inclusion-beyond-
access-to-broadband. [Accessed: 03- May- 2018].
[2]"The NBN: how a national infrastructure dream fell short", The Conversation, 2018. [Online].
Available: https://theconversation.com/the-nbn-how-a-national-infrastructure-dream-fell-short-
77780. [Accessed: 03- May- 2018].
[3]"Australia's digital divide is narrowing, but getting deeper", The Conversation, 2018. [Online].
Available: https://theconversation.com/australias-digital-divide-is-narrowing-but-getting-deeper-
55232. [Accessed: 03- May- 2018].
[4]J. Buntinx, "Top 6 Cheapest Countries for Internet Access", The Merkle, 2018. [Online]. Available:
https://themerkle.com/top-6-cheapest-countries-for-internet-access/. [Accessed: 03- May- 2018].
[5]"Benefits of broadband | Onlincolnshire", Onlincolnshire.org, 2018. [Online]. Available:
http://www.onlincolnshire.org/broadband-for-residents/benefits-of-broadband. [Accessed: 03-
May- 2018].
[6]"The Advantages of High Speed Internet", Xfinity.com, 2018. [Online]. Available:
https://www.xfinity.com/hub/internet/the-advantages-of-high-speed-internet. [Accessed: 03- May-
2018].