Digital economy is our fifth pillar …

“The internet is a telephone system that’s gotten uppity” Clifford Stoll.

In that one phrase, US-based author and tech commentator Clifford Stoll, nails the Tasmanian challenge.

Unless our communications networks are working, our intent won’t work. QED.

Even I sometimes forget that just to use my phone I am relying on a network of internationally-integrated cables, phone towers, satellites and a raft of private sector, public and regulatory bodies, just to keep me on the air. My Candy Crush addiction cannot be met without global telco companies making sure the system is working.

It’s worth just getting back to basics on how our telco system works. The 101 of telco, so to speak.

Our internet troubles last year, were a wake up call. An example of our vulnerability to outages and our island’s communications security.

The event also put a spotlight on our need for visionary Public Planning that is able to operate across public and private operators.

Our digital economy is the fifth pillar of the Tasmanian economy – and we can grow our intellectual exports, consulting and professional services, data management and creative economy.

At the heart of Tasmania’s ability to operate, trade, educate, heal and employ is a robust communications infrastructure. It is precisely because we have had such a good system that on a day to day basis many of us don’t need to give much thought to whether we will be able to access our Facebook today, do some online shopping or upload data to sell on the mainland.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out that where an electricity cable and an optic fibre cable are bound together at the bottom of Bass Strait, problems with one would be likely to impact the other.

Let me also be clear that I am not suggesting we shouldn’t lay fibre bundled with electricity cable – rather that we need to also plan for future contingencies properly.

And so it came to pass. The electricity cable needed to be severed, meaning necessarily the optic cable (through no fault of its own) would also need to be severed. It could quite easily have been the reverse situation.

Now, when you only have one optic cable, you lack what the telco engineers like to call “redundancy”. In this context the word redundancy means a fail safe plan – an alternative option if there is a technical issue. Redundancy can be achieved in a number of ways, by having alternative technical options, or having commercial arrangements in place to deal with emergencies.

It may have been a bit of a scramble, but ultimately consumers affected by the optic cable outage were brought back on line pretty quickly. Credit to the private sector operators who came together to negotiate a deal and then improve the arrangement. It was disappointing that we didn’t see some action from the Lib Minister to ensure consumers were treated fairly with compensation, but there you go, that’s how this Government rolls.

I’ve been doing some coffee-fuelled thinking with stakeholders about Public Planning, and communications in particular. What is needed across a range of infrastructure assets, is prudent, multi factor planning policy.

It is the policy that should drive ultimate outcomes.

Other jurisdictions, notably the UK, have already implemented policy settings that legislate to ensure proper contingency and risk planning when it comes to public assets.

To secure our future – working across the private and public sectors, and to ensure leadership on matters of state importance, we are going to have to work collaboratively on building policy (and we need to include everyone). We must be listening to a range of views, engineers, corporations, workers, thinkers, residents and creators.

We must close the digital divide. Wouldn’t we like to be first – but how are we going to tackle that issue of social justice?

No one has succeeded in eradicating the digital divide in any jurisdiction (that I’ve been able to find) – so it’s a complex challenge by all accounts.

When it comes to households and what we want from our communications system, reliability, access and price are the key elements. Competition issues are always on our minds as policy makers, but importantly householders are now also talking about reliability.

People will pay a premium for a more reliable service but we must balance competition and reliability issues with a pricing structure that helps us to build our future Tasmanian economy.

I’m keen to know what’s on your mind from a planning perspective and I would love to hear from you. You can find me on Facebook, or email me or stop for a chat.

Alternatively an old fashioned hand written letter delivered by Australia Post is always welcome.

*Madeleine Ogilvie MP (above)
Labor Member for Denison

Shadow Minister
+ Communications, Enterprise & Digital Economy
+ Local Government & Public Planning
+ Open Government & Information Integrity
+ Multicultural Affairs
+ Aboriginal Affairs
Opposition Whip

www.madeleineogilvie.com