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Title

'The most connected place on the planet'

Author(s)

Given, Jock

Abstract

This article explores episodes in Tasmania's communications history, the reasons it has been chosen to lead the deployment of the National Broadband Network and the crucial role of the Basslink cable, which began providing wholesale communications services to and from the island in July 2009. It then examines the most recent round of measures to improve communications in the State in the decade from 1996. These measures, funded from some of the proceeds of the privatisation of Telstra, favoured Tasmania because of the make-up of the Senate at the time. Despite this attention, continuing dissatisfaction with the state of telecommunications in Tasmania highlights the scale of the challenge for those now attempting again to conquer the remoteness that has been Tasmania's fate since European settlement.

Publication type

Journal article

Research centre

Swinburne University of Technology. Faculty of Life and Social Sciences. Institute for Social Research

Source

Communication, Politics and Culture, Vol. 43, no. 1 (Jul 2010), pp. 120-142

Publication year

2010

FOR Code(s)

1608 Sociology;  2001 Communication and Media Studies;  2002 Cultural Studies

Keyword(s)

Broadband network;  Communications technologies

Publisher

School of Applied Communication, RMIT University

ISSN

0038-4526

Publisher URL

http://www.rmit.edu.au/mediacommunication/cpc

Copyright

Copyright © 2010 Jock Given. The author assigns to RMIT University a non-exclusive licence to publish this paper in Communication, Politics and Culture. The accepted manuscript is reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher.

Full text

Peer reviewed