[Politics] The NBN for Luddites

[fishlivejournal]

Advertising for the NBN has basically been "It's shiny! It's expensive! It must be good!" Without giving any useful information at all. So I've been collecting information, and squeezing technoshamanic friends for details.

Comments

[ripley_larkham]

is also worth looking at for public domain movies.

The blackout thing I didn't know, but any disaster large enough to block out the cell towers will also block out the old copper hardlines (from sheer mass of calls). Being on hold while you bleed out may be worse than not being able to get through in the first place.

Emergency services are also looking at mobile emergency towers with mobile generators they can put up whenever and where ever they need. They can from what I recall handle tens of thousands of calls, but are too expensive to run all the time. Makes them good in emergencies.

Telstra was also considering a priority system for mobile phones, so police and medical staff mobiles can cut through to the front of the line during a crisis. A call to 000 may also be prioritised in the same way. what tends to shut down mobile phones towers is the mass of calls and SMSs to check your friends and family are OK. Not sure what (if anything) came from this.

[fishlivejournal]

cool, thanks for that.

[ripley_larkham]

They are being a bit hush hush as they are concerned about terrorists knowing their responces in a crisis.