Australia - Digital Economy - Industry Working Group

Synopsis

During the OOS, BuddeComm has taken several industry initiatives to progress the transformation of the broadband telecoms industry. This includes a National Broadband Forum, a National Municipality Broadband Forum, Utilitel that has since developed into Smart Grid Australia and the Wholesale Industry Working Group. In October 2007 BuddeComm organised an industry networking dinner, which was attended by the then Shadow Minister for Communications, Senator Stephen Conroy (now Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy). The Minister accepted the industry’s offer to assist him in the process of developing the National Broadband Network plan. Consequently the industry formed the FttH SIG, which has since been renamed into Digital Economy Industry Working Group. This group represents 200 people from 140 companies, 40 people actively participated in the project, 600 pages of submissions were provided. That report was presented to the Minister in March 2008. In the following months further recommendations and submissions were presented to the Government. Since that time the group has taken on a governance role to make sure that the implementation stays as close as possible to the initial concept.