[image title=”oldexchange” size=”thumbnail” id=”328″ align=”right” linkto=”https://irrationale2.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/oldexchange.jpg” ]In telecoms, Telstra is no 800 pound gorilla. It’s an 800 pound colic-ridden infant, irritably throwing its toys out of the pram when it doesn’t get its own way.

Whether you agree with what the government’s been doing on broadband policy or not, it’s become a hot electoral issue — things are definitely moving. There’s a fibre rollout hopefully coming to urban areas, a WiMax deployment for the bush and for everyone else, there’s the Broadband Now Web site: a site devoted to showing those in Australia’s remotest areas how they too can get connected by whatever means possible.

The whole point of the site, according to Helen Coonan et al, is to give those not in the know about their broadband options a list of providers who meet government criteria on price, speed etc (quite what’s the point of an Internet site for those who don’t have broadband to start with is beyond me, but let’s gloss over that for the moment).

Initially, when the site was set up, Telstra’s BigPond ISP didn’t make the list as it didn’t meet the criteria set down by the government: a 512Kbps download speed; a 128Kbps upload speed; a 1GB monthly data allowance; and a total cost including connection fees of not more than AU$2500 over three years.

Telstra had a word with the government about the omission. The telco didn’t like being missed off the who’s who list. They deserved to be there too, dammit, they said.

Via ZDNet