TV on the NBN

Professor Gerard Goggin from University of Sydney Department of Media and Communications talked at "Converging on an NBN Future" on the NBN and TV. He mentioned  a project with Screen Australia, April 2012.

Unfortunately I could not find a copy of the report (apparently released April 2012) available on-line. This brought out a problem with this symposium, and much Citysearch and policy discussion about on-line services: those having the discussion are not actually using the technology they are discussing to have the discussion.

At the University of Canberra I am sitting in one of their high technology flexible classrooms, which have WiFi and projectors. In the same venue I have attended "un-conferences" where all the participants are on-line and contributing all the time. However, the current symposium is an old fashioned slide show, with one person talking and everyone passively listening. As far as I know no one outside the isolated room can take part and so far no one has been invited to ask a question.

Those who are formulating on-line policy for Australia need to experience how the new technology can be used to understand it and to be credible. Otherwise they will produce policies which miss the point and will be ignored by those who actually are using the technology.

In his Alfred Deakin Lecture "Free at Last! Or Freedom Lost? Libery in the Digital Age"
 (8 October 2012), Malcolm Turnbull, the Shadow Minister for Communications, demonstrated an understanding of the issues.