A guest post from the unreasonablemen.net

I can’t help but comment on the hugely underwhelming version 2 of the digital strategy. As reported in the dominion post, the minster believes we are at no risk of having “inspiration fatigue”. I’d tend to agree….

For those who missed it, the article is here.

2012 TARGETS

* 80 percent of households will have 20 megabit per second broadband connections.

* “Open access” fibre networks will be operating in at least 15 cities.

* Fewer than 5 percent of household computers should be infected with computer viruses or malware.

* Three-quarters of advertised ICT job vacancies should be filled, up from just over half last year.

* Teleworking will cut the number of commutes to work by car by 5 percent

Just how this is going to benefit us economically is left out. Cunliffe does think that the massive investments going into making fast broadband available will be used though.

“Just ask any young New Zealander if they are fatigued by the digital world and they will say, ‘Can I get another 20 megabits of bandwidth, Dad, and get out of my way because I want to talk to my friends on Facebook’.”

Coincidently Alan Freeth came out today with a much more pragmatic view of what all this fast internet will be used for….

the main result of faster broadband links to the home may be more downloads of pornography and movies rather than improvements to productivity

Until we build support multinational digital businesses i’d have to agree. This to me is the bit lacking in the digital strategy, where is the money going to come from

3 Comments
  • Good post

    I think Cullen and Freeth are saying the same thing. Whether it’s porn or Facebook, it sure ain’t productivity.

    I think it really is time to look at the international connections NZ has to the world (currently sub-standard) and the other costs of doing ‘weightless economy’ businesses in NZ. Hosting and storage are another biggie. I think it’s time to move on from access being the big priority…

  • The whole digital strategy has been a bit of a joke really. There seems to be this “If we build it (broadband/computer access/anything else mentioned in the digital strategy document et al), NZ will be more productive”.

    Building good IT companies is HARD. Competing with the world is HARD. Doing IT is hard. We get more productive if we build companies that massively leverage workers, not by doing more of the same. Companies that produce stuff that can be sold to millions. The digital strategy document has said nothing about that.

    I think the government has fallen into the trap of thinking its all about the technology. Anyone who has been doing technology for any length of time knows… Its not the tech, its how much pain you alleviate, for how many people.

    Sigh. Another D-.

  • Greg / Miki ,

    I agree, all wealth is created in businesses, consumed by well … consumers. where does this fit?

    On the next thread Mike makes some really good comments..we can’t predict what will happen with ubiquity of fast network access. My reaction to that, correct but unless you create an environment / ecosystem more focused on business and less focused on internet consumerism its fairly easy to predict that NZ will stay a predominantly agrarian nation whilst others who better foster they’re digital businesses will progress.

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