The NBN is ALMOST here in Palmerston via Gungahlin

Add caption

As luck would have it, the NBN is arriving in Palmerston via Gungahlin this very moment. Not surprisingly, however, it is somewhat too late and I am not sure if I will bother renegotiating a contract any time soon.

Following the Minister for Broadband, Communication and the Digital Economy's statement in Gungahlin just a little while ago, I expected that we would miss out by a street or two. But yesterday morning, while getting ready for work, the sound of workers "communicating" outside my bedroom window was a surprise. I had seen some workers from a telecoms contractor some time ago trying to locate the Telstra pits nearby. I didn't hold my breath in anticipation of the NBN. But there they were: NBN Co. workers just a few metres away!

One of the issues that has long concerned me about the NBN is how it will affect individual consumers. A few years back, the services in Palmerston were terrible. Indeed, they are still so bad in parts that the local doctor cannot connect to Medicare's Online Services. All Palmerston Medical Centre patients, including the elderly,  must go to the Medicare office in Gungahlin to collect their Medicare refunds.

But one thing is for sure: the NBN is coming to Palmerston via Gungahlin. And it is happening right now! The activity in the local neighbourhood (I saw at least half a dozen workers today) proves it.

NBN Co. workers outside my bedroom window 17 April

Whether the NBN will be a political win for the government remains another story.

I have long advocated for a market-based approach to telecommunications infrastructure, based on my research comparing Canada's decentralised policy approach with Australia's command-and-control model. The command and control approach is slower and it leaves everyone wondering what is happening. Hardly the perfect consumer information  of first year economics texts. 

What I am particularly concerned about is that government control of the NBN will hinder the ongoing development of a vibrant communications sector in Australia. The project to privatise, deregulate and enable a market-based communications industry started decades ago has been beset by problems and I don't believe that NBN is a solution. Communications infrastructure should be beyond politics and the NBN just keeps it there. This is a backward step.

Public ownership brings all sorts of political problems. Now with the Coalition's alternative broadband policy being released, communications infrastructure has been cast back into politics. While the Coalition's policy goes some way to minimising the ALP's extreme government control approach, it doesn't solve all the problems.

And communications remains a political football. Indeed, the Minister for Broadband has even accused The Telegraph of being "anti-NBN". Maybe if the government's proposed media regulations go ahead then Senator Conroy will be able to ensure that all newspapers agree with him. It's a pity the Internet Filter was scrapped, too, or the federal government could have ensured that everybody behaved appropriately online. Of course, I jest.

NBN Co comes to Palmerston via Gungahlin

But while I jest, my point is that Australian governments are control freaks when it comes to communications policy. This does not auger well for our future. Indeed, whether the NBN will assist the digital economy by excising digital infrastructure from the digital economy is a debate that has not really begun. Surely we must also ask ourselves: Do we really need ever-so-fast broadband?

While waiting for the NBN in Palmerston via Gungahlin (which seems to have been coming here for years), Telstra's services have improved so much that I have been happy with the ADSL service we have had for almost one year now. After trying many alternatives including an expensive wireless service (with a dismal 15GB download limit wireless service), I am rather happy with the price of our current 500GB download limit which consistently delivers around 8mbps. I have no problems watching movies via our XBox, using the Net via multiple computers over Wi-Fi, streaming music or video, or teaching university classes online.

The big issue for me in Palmerston via Gungahlin is public transport. If the buses ran a little later on weekends and ran every half-hour instead of every hour, and didn't double the travel time to Belconnen by going via Gungahlin first, I probably wouldn't need a car at all. I bet it wouldn't cost as much as rolling out fibre in the area either.

Yet while the different levels of government play politics within their own jurisdictions, citizens don't really have a say in what is important and what is not. The "greening"effect of the NBN couldn't possibly provide a better return on investment in reducing carbon emissions than improved public transport could. The benefits would be immediate for the citizens of Palmerston via Gungahlin, but that certainly wouldn't interest Mr Conroy.

Broadband: The Holden Commodore Version

Put simply, and while the NBN is ALMOST here, I wonder if I even need it now? If it had been here a few years ago, I would have paid almost anything. Now, however, it seems that the market has done its job and I wonder if I'll bother to change over to the NBN when it is available?

Regrettably, if the NBN costs me any more than I pay now, I really cannot see the point. It might help me to steam HD videos better, but I'd be a whole lot happier contributing to a better public transport system.

NBN Co slashes rollout targets due to skills shortages

It's no surprise that NBN Co. has had to revise its roll-out forecast. Centrally-controlled approaches make it difficult to engage multiple businesses at multiple levels and no doubt much of this is a result of the inefficiencies created by one entity trying to deal with many businesses in many locations: it doesn't take much to imagine how difficult it is for one management group to deal with geographically-dispersed groups. As a consequence, NBN Co. has negotiated with other monoliths who experience the same management problems. I have regularly stated that the problem with any centrally-controlled approach is the inefficiency of its necessarily large bureaucracies - it simply takes too long to deliver practical solutions to numerous areas. Today's announcement by NBN Co. confirms this view, and was eluded to by NBN Co. chief Mike Quigley:

The problem is we are just not seeing the ramp up of construction workers on the ground that would be needed to deliver these targets.

Saffire @UC: Flexible Learning Through Original Video Content

There was a cartoonist highlighting major points from our presentations earlier this morning. Here is the caricature of my session:

Here are the two videos I referred to in my presentation today:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BxanRmt2syA2N3Y2Vk05NW9FVVk/edit?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BxanRmt2syA2bExDczdPbFJpWUU/edit?usp=sharing

See the twitter hashtag #ucsaffire for further details. Here are some of the responses to my presentation:

Outlook: Political Science as a Profession

These are just a few websites I have been able to find relating to "political science" as a career. I will update this article as I find more.

It is that time of year again for planning and organising one's professional goals. I found this website while thinking about the direction for my research and publishing this year. I must admit I am surprised to see that political scientists in the US earn more than their economics counter-parts.

"The median annual wage of political scientists was $107,420 in May 2010".

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition, Political Scientists, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/political-scientists.htm (visited February 28, 2013).

I suspect this website is the Australian equivalent to the above. However, the career is lumped under the term "social professionals" on the Australian Government's "job outlook" website.

For the UK job outlook, this site seems to be most helpful, and the Canadian Political Science  Association has this site.

Using the "Green Room" for Original Educational Content

General Idea of the Model

 Here is my first three goes at using a "green room" to develop original educational content for flexible delivery. This is made possible by the University of Canberra with the professional guidance of the very capable Michelle McAulay (@mcaulay21).

The purpose of this post is to demonstrate a simple approach to enabling flexible delivery using original content in multimedia formats. Consequently, this is a first draft and I will post more as the concept is developed further. Obviously there are grammatical errors in the text as the first two videos were off-the cuff statements about one of the units I teach and my research specialisation. The third video is my first go at using Teleprompter Lite (the free version) with the iPad gaffer-taped directly under the camera. (Tip for young players: have the iPad as close as possible to the camera and then only look at the iPad - flicking from iPad to camera ruins the mood.) The Lite version does not allow you to customise the speed, so we played around with using line spaces but it was (obviously) not the best tool. The paid version has a custom slider for speed setting so it was worth the small fee for this feature.

In future I will be using the following procedural steps:

1. Drafting the speech and paste into a blog post using Blogger.
2. Add hyperlinks to the blog post as required.
3. Copy the post and paste it into the Teleprompter Pro app.
4. Film using the teleprompter.
5. Add background/s to video.
6. Add video to blog post.

See the first drafts below.

Welcome to 6606 Government-Business Relations

Hello, I'm Michael de Percy, Senior Lecturer in Political Science at the University of Canberra, and welcome to 6606 Government-Business Relations. This unit is a foundation unit for all of the degree programs within the faculty. We focus on the generic skills of written communication, and also critical thinking. We will introduce you to a broad range of topics covering both government, business, and their interaction with society. This is a very important conceptual understanding for any of the courses that you will undertake within the faculty. The relationship between government and business is multifaceted and complex and we will teach you how to "unpack" some of those complexities. In the modern era, often the line between government and business is not clear. Indeed, business is increasingly taking on roles that in the past was the sole domain of government. So in this unit we will introduce you to some of the theoretical concepts of liberal democracy, social democracy and also the capitalist economic system. We will look at the varieties of capitalism that exist throughout the world, and also we will look at the international institutions, and the way that governments throughout the world attempt to manage the global economy. In this unit we will also introduce you to models of government-business relations and some of the political ideologies which inform the various approaches to policy. Welcome to the University of Canberra, and I trust that you will enjoy your studies here at Australia's Capital University. Good luck!

My Research

[This was a first take speaking off-the-cuff about my research.We could have had a few more goes at it but I think using the teleprompt will be a much more efficient way of developing content, especially if we will be shooting entire lectures.]

Hello, I'm Michael de Percy, Senior Lecturer in Political Science at the University of Canberra. My research focuses on communications technologies, and their interaction with the state. What I am particularly interested in is how communications technologies form critical junctures in institutional development. What I am currently working on is a model of the co-evolution of communications technologies and political institutions. In the Australian case, I am interested in how a long history of government control helps or hinders the deployment of communications technologies, in particular broadband. But it is very difficult to make sense of what is happening today without an appreciation of history. Indeed, right back to the time of the telegraph, we find starting points in institutional design and development which continue to influence the telecommunications industry throughout the world today. By examining in cross-national comparison, I am able to identify the influence of institutions on these technology outcomes. It is a very interesting and challenging approach to study, focusing in particular on the theories and methods of historical institutionalism. Thank you very much.

My Teaching Philosophy

[This was our first attempt using the Teleprompter Lite app. Without a customisable speed slider it wasn't the best, but I would say some more experimenting and the Teleprompter Pro app might see a significant improvement. The video highlights the difference between spoken and written text - I may need to revamp the philosophy so it doesn't sound so staid.]

Having grown up in suburban and regional Australia and lived (in my earlier years, at least) Aristotle’s concept of the ‘unexamined life’, the conscientious study of political science has been an enlightening journey. Through the patience, graciousness and understanding of various great people who have influenced my academic, personal and professional life, I have been able to transcend the vernacular of my socio-cultural influences to achieve a broader, less polemical, understanding of the value of education in a liberal arts sense. The prospect of teaching others the value of independent and critical thinking, then, remains for me a very important component of challenging existing views of the political world.

The consequences of power relationships which exist in the political realm are ubiquitous to the extent that it is pedestrian to suggest that understanding the relationships of power which exist between individuals, groups and ‘the state’ are necessary to understand the concepts of justice , equity and freedom so often captivated by Western ideals of liberal democracy. Indeed, a typical first-year university student will often awake to the discourse of politicians and the news media and accept such positions as not only normative, but ‘right’ – despite the particularly Australian notion of a Dixonian ‘well-informed citizenry’ being crucial to maintaining a civil society within a Westminster-style liberal democracy. Yet many students lack both an awareness and appreciation of the world beyond that which is provided by the so-called ‘common’ values expressed by contemporary politicians and journalists.

As a teacher of political science, I strive to do more than merely present students with facts and figures that they can recite under exam conditions. I attempt to facilitate the learning process, helping students to take the first step on the journey toward thinking critically and for themselves, regardless of their chosen profession, while becoming more responsible and better-informed professionals and citizens of humanity. I strive to achieve this goal within the bounds of the discipline of political science, ever conscious of good intentions which may easily lead to the polemic.

Embarking on this journey, however, requires a willingness to engage in critical thinking. As such, my classroom practices focus on fostering such critical perspectives. I encourage students to challenge not only the conventional wisdom of politics, but also their own preconceived notions, ideals and beliefs. While I am a firm believer in the pedagogical value of lecturing based on sound research, and I make every effort to cultivate discussion in tutorials through the presentation of student’s ideas, collegial critiques and interpersonal reflection. I do not regard myself as someone who simply distributes knowledge in the classroom. Indeed, I attempt to provide students with the opportunity to share in the educational experience by creating a collegial learning environment in which everyone may examine their own perspectives, biases and preconceptions without fear or prejudice - within the bounds of the academy’s normative concept of mutual respect.

Moreover, I believe that it is crucial to incorporate the ‘real world’ in the classroom whenever possible. For instance, I often ask students in my introductory classes to consider how concepts of politics and power relate to their particular courses of study. Often, students cite this approach in their evaluations as a valuable skill which will assist them in their future professions. When I am able to make the connection between theory, empirical reality and professional vocations enlightening for the students, I feel that I have truly accomplished my major goal as an educator.

As Owen Dixon once argued, the fate of liberal democracy in Australia depends upon a vigilant and informed citizenry. As a teacher of political science, I consider it my challenge to help students ‘unpack’ the complexities of the political and social interactions around them and encourage them to develop a greater appreciation of the diversity of political, social, and cultural institutions. I have often told my students that I consider my class to be successful if, at the end of the semester, they have challenged their own beliefs and can at least defend these beliefs on the basis of an empirical understanding that transcends ‘greedy reductionism’. To this end, I believe that it is only through achieving a more thorough understanding of the political world around us that we can begin to change it for the better.

Next Steps

I am hoping we can get a green room as a permanent fixture for staff to develop online content. I've tried with sole-operator office-based equipment but it is much too difficult, and even more difficult if lecturers are to develop their own multi-media content as a going concern. Having another person to work the equipment and provide feedback as you go is essential. I think, too, that breaking up the video with pictures or other film footage (relevant to the spoken content) will be useful (documentary-style). Of course, there are then copyright issues. Nevertheless, I am confident the model will work and will post details as the pilot unfolds.