Research Team
Catherine Middleton: Canada Research Chair, Ted Rogers School of Management, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada
Jock Given: Professor of Media and Communications, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia
Project Overview
This is a collaborative research project investigating the development of next generation broadband networks in Canada and Australia. Led by Catherine Middleton, Canada Research Chair at Ryerson University in Toronto, in partnership with Jock Given, Professor of Media and Communications at Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia, the project will produce case studies of two broadband networks, one in Alberta, Canada (the Alberta SuperNet) and one in Tasmania, Australia (the Tasmanian National Broadband Network). The project will also encourage the development of longer term research collaboration among international researchers in a variety of disciplines interested in telecommunications policy and broadband infrastructure development. The project will train postgraduate students, and develop research capacity to inform government, industry and academe’s understanding of societal, technical, and policy aspects of building next generation networks.
This international collaboration is motivated by the Australian government’s April 2009 announcement to invest $A43 billion to build a national broadband network (NBN). Recognizing the geographic, political, historical and cultural similarities between Australia and Canada, we believe that research exploring the comparative experiences of broadband network development in the two countries will yield great value. Despite general similarities, the contrast between the two countries’ approaches to facilitating the development of next generation infrastructure is stark, providing an ideal opportunity for research. While the Australian government initiates tangible efforts to improve broadband infrastructure across the country, the Canadian federal government appears to have no strategy to encourage the development of the next generation broadband infrastructure that is understood to be critical to national economic prosperity in the 21st century. There are however some promising provincial initiatives, including the Alberta SuperNet, a fibre-optical network that reaches all communities in the province.
Given the huge investments required to develop and operate next generation infrastructures, coupled with public uncertainty as to the actual benefits of faster broadband networks, we believe there is an immediate need for research that explores the challenges and opportunities inherent in such efforts. We have begun research on the Tasmanian NBN pilot project, identifying stakeholders in the network development and seeking to understanding their perspectives on the network rollout. In early 2010, we will begin our case study of the Alberta SuperNet. Our objective is to explore how the experiences of building and operating this existing open access wholesale network (operational since 2005) can inform the development and use of the Australian NBN, also designed as a wholesale, open access network.
This project will build on our past successes with funded research projects, provide opportunities for Canadian and Australian researchers to lead future international research projects on broadband infrastructure development, and enable students to participate in international, collaborative research and knowledge creation related to a topic of economic and societal importance.
Project funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (Canada), October 2009 – December 2010
Related Presentations & Publications
Middleton, C. A. & Given, J. (2011). The Next Broadband Challenge: Wireless. Journal of Information Policy. (1:1). pp. 36-56. [paper]
Middleton, C.A. (2010). Broadband isn’t Enough: International Perspectives on Leveraging Broadband for Social Benefit. CSIRO Broadband for Society Summit. Hobart, November 2010. [presentation]
Middleton, C.A. (2010). Demand for Next Generation Broadband: Exploring Internet Usage Statistics. Communications Policy & Research Forum. Sydney, November 2010. [presentation]
Middleton, C. A. (2010). Delivering Services over Next Generation Broadband Networks: Exploring Devices, Applications and Networks. Telecommunications Journal of Australia. (60:4). pp. 59.1-59.13. [abstract] [preprint]
Middleton, C. A. & Given, J. (2010). Open Access Broadband Networks in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Singapore. Telecommunications Policy Research Conference. [paper] [presentation]
Middleton, C. A. & Given, J. (2010). The Next Broadband Challenge: Mobile. Experts Workshop – The Broadband Act of 2011: Developing a Communications Act for the 21st Century, Washington DC, September 2010. [presentation]
Given, J. (2010). All fibre, all the way! Inside Story.
Given, J. (2010). We’re all tech-heads now. Inside Story.
Middleton, C. A. (2010). Learning from Australia’s National Broadband Network. International Telecommunications Society 18th Biennial Conference, Tokyo. [presentation]
Middleton, C. A. (2010). International Perspectives on ICT Strategies: The Australian National Broadband Network. Panelist. Canadian Telecom Summit 2010, Toronto. [presentation]
Given, J. (2010). Inside Conroy’s implement. Inside Story.
Given, J. (2010). ‘The Most Connected Place on the Planet’. Communication, Politics & Culture, 43(1), 120-142.