Australian broadband lagging OECD but causing pollution

Dr Idris F. Sulaiman, CEO of Computers Off Australia, has pointed out that the latest survey of household internet use from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that:

• the ACT leads the nation in broadband connections with 68 per cent of dwellings plugged online via fat pipes in June
• Australia's connectivity is behind leaders within the OECD (who are also leaders in the Asia Pacific) but scores better than the average of the larger 27-member EU nations
• the metropolitan divide in connectivity (urban - 57% vs. non-urban - 43%) is lower than the income digital "connectivity" divide (81% in 'rich' households, earning more than $120k. vs. 38% in 'poor' households earning less than $40k.)
• the national figure was 52% - a rise of 22% on previous year: there was a comparable growth of household computer access and, hence their carbon footprint may be also increasing around the same rate - around 20% emissions growth per year.

He suggests this is a significant growth of emissions that must be addressed.