Home topics news News Tech News Govt to dump broadband subsidy due to Telstra NextG pricing David Olsen May 11, 2010 The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy Senator Stephen Conroy has announced changes to the Australian Broadband Guarantee (ABG) that will see subsidies dumped in areas served by Telstra NextG wireless broadband. Senator Conroy yesterday announced new standards for the ABG, that redefine the minimum standards for service provided under the ABG as well as slash government expenditure on subsidies to deliver ‘metro equivalent’ broadband services to remote communities. “Since the Rudd Government renewed funding for the ABG in 2008, fifty-nine thousand Australian households and small business premises have been assisted by the program,” Senator Conroy said. “After positive consultation with a number of satellite and wireless internet service providers, the Government will raise the minimum standard for services provided under the ABG. “This means from July minimum broadband speeds will be doubled to one megabit per second download, and 256 kilobits per second upload, with stricter performance standards and a stricter testing regime.” The minimum data allowance will also be doubled to six gigabytes per month. Customers will be further protected by a three year warranty, up from the current minimum of one year. The changes to the ABG come as per recommendations in the report of the Glasson Committee on Rural and Regional telecommunications, which highlighted the need for the ABG to keep relative parity to the increasing speeds and download limits of metro broadband