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From the CEO’s Desk

There are clearly a lot of people stuck at home on the internet right now and this is being reflected across our traffic statistics, with us hitting all time highs. We are hitting higher rates across NSW-IX to the point we will be looking to do a nice big upgrade as soon as we can, as well as finally upgrade our core switch in Melbourne. Recent firmware upgrades in other states mean that 100Gbps ports are available everywhere and these are being consumed with gusto! It’s also interesting to see the blips due to our various leaders and their daily covid updates, with New Zealand’s Prime Minister shifting the dial more than our state Premiers or Prime Minister. It’s fair to say that the Kiwi migration of broadcast television onto their fixed broadband network probably plays a significant part, but it sure is interesting to see these social factors being played out on our networks.

I must admit that looking at our traffic graphs is far more interesting than economic models of NBN Co’s business, but this area is a key part of our advocacy right now. The ACCC is reviewing the standard access undertaking leading to a potentially all new pricing regime for the NBN. As we delve further into the detail on this, we will hopefully draw comparisons with other industries to see how regulation has affected the various wholesale markets. Again, if any IAA members have a view on this process, please let me know.

Last month also had me doing a couple of deep dive presentations – one for staff in the Department of Communications (How the Internet Works) and the other jointly with the ACS (The Internet 2021 and Beyond). I realised just how much I’ve been missing those regular industry catch ups at conferences and the like where everything internet is debated, as it seemed a lot harder this time round to pull together observations on where we’re at with internet technology and regulation. If anyone has any new networks they want to show off or neat software solutions to networking problems perhaps it is time for you to propose a topic for our next event!

Annual General Meeting

This year’s Annual General Meeting is yet to be announced as we navigate through the rapidly changing Covid-19 situation. Traditionally our AGMs have been held in line with the AusNOG conference however, due to its postponement, our AGM will be held separately this year.

As you may be aware, we are in the process of transitioning to a company limited by guarantee which will also see changes to future AGMs. Please be assured that any changes will be communicated via email in due course.

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact us at secretary@internet.asn.au

IAASysters

IAASysters@AusNOG Program

This year we launched our IAASysters@AusNOG program. This program is based on the international systers.org and systers@IETF programs and offers ten sponsored attendees the opportunity to participate in both the Australian Network Operators Group (AusNOG) conference and our IAASysters@AusNOG workshop.

We are passionate about cultivating a more inclusive Internet industry and have created the IAASysters@AusNOG program to support and enable women to access the valuable technical content and business networking opportunities that come from the AusNOG conference.

Sponsored attendees will receive:

  • Economy airfares to Sydney and three nights accommodation for interstate participants
  • Admission to the AusNOG conference – provided by AusNOG (December 8-9)
  • Admission to the IAASysters@AusNOG workshop (December 7)
  • A one-year complimentary Professional membership to IAA – subject to Board approval.

An essential part of our program is the IAASysters@AusNOG workshop. This is a one-day event; offering targeted technical and presentation skills training in addition to a career planning session delivered by industry professionals, designed to help you advance your career.

Whether you are at the beginning of your career, yet to begin or starting again, the IAASysters@AusNOG program offers a variety of opportunities designed to boost your knowledge, skills, and confidence.

Due to the current Covid-19 situation in New South Wales, the program dates have changed to be in line with the AusNOG conference in December.

Details for the IAASysters@AusNOG workshop:

Date: Tuesday, 7 December 2021
Time: 9:00am AEDT – 3:00pm AEDT
Location: The Fullerton Hotel, Sydney

Applications close on 31 Sunday, October 2021, 5:00pm AEDT.

For more information or to apply, please visit the IAASysters@AusNOG information page on our website.

Program Sponsors

The IAASysters@AusNOG Program is proudly brought to you with the help of our sponsors.

Transition to a Company Limited by Guarantee

We are pleased to announce that members of the Association voted to support the proposed transition to a company limited by guarantee at the Special General Meeting held Wednesday 28 July 2021.

The process of deregistration from the Associations Incorporation Act 2015 (WA) has been authorised by the WA regulator, and we have submitted the paperwork to register under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) as a company limited by guarantee.

We would like to say a special thank you to all the members that contributed to this process, providing input through our various member consultations and workshops, taking the time to vote and attend the meeting.

The Internet 2021 and Beyond – Event Recap

Another fantastic event done and dusted in 2021. During this joint event with the Australian Computer Society (ACS), our very own, Narelle Clark, took us on a journey through all things Internet, guided by the theme ‘how it started and how it’s going.’ Beginning with a brief introduction of IAA, we heard about technology, architecture, service, regulatory and social issues, finishing off with some of the important lessons learnt from 2020.  This event is one not to be missed!

If you weren’t able to attend, don’t worry, we have you covered! You can catch the recorded live stream on our Facebook page or Youtube channel.

To keep informed about more fantastic IAA events, stay connected with us on our social media channels  (Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter) and be sure to keep an eye on our newsletters and member emails.

 

 

Record Numbers for Both IAA and NZIX

During the month of August, both IAA and New Zealand Internet Exchange (NZIX) hit new records across their exchanges. With half of Australia in lockdown, we hit a new record of 790Gbps over the weekend ending Sunday, August 22, 2021, breaking our previous record of 750Gbps.

In comparison, as lockdown commenced across the ditch, so too did the spikes in traffic across AKL-IX and CHC-IX, with Auckland reaching an all-time high of 341Gbps with plenty of room to spare. The peaks continued across the remainder of the week finishing off with a Friday afternoon high of 335Gbps.

Primus DC – September Closure

Primus DC, located at 55 King Street, Melbourne, is closing, and we have been advised that we need to vacate the premises by 30 September 2021. Unfortunately, this means members with ports within the data centre will be affected as we will no longer be offering services from this facility after that date.

Rest assured that we are working hard to ensure service continuity despite the closure and request that members with a current service at 55 King Street migrate to any of our other sites on VIC-IX. All location options can be found on our website. Hopefully, you’ve already seen the relocation of the route server from that site, and a shorter ring transit time with our rearrangements already completed.

If you require any further information or assistance with your migration, please get in touch at peering@internet.asn.au Time is running out!

Open Submissions

August’s Advocacy Corner Update

Submissions that may be of interest to members include:

ACCC| Wholesale ADSL Service Declaration | 10 Sept

The ACCC is proposing to continuing to declare Wholesale ADSL until 2024. Their view is that postponing this date will promote competition by aligning the expiry to the declaration of other Telstra fixed line services which are also declared by the ACCC. We are in support of this stance as it will ensure continuing price certainty and performance standards while ADSL remains in service in some areas.

eSafety Office | Restricted Access System  | 12 Sept

eSafety is seeking views on a restricted access system (RAS)  which seeks to limit exposure of people under 18 to age-inappropriate content. A new RAS needs to be in place by January 2022 as part of the Online Safety Bill. The services which will be required to meet these requirements include Australian hosting providers, social media services, designated internet services and relevant electronic services, some of which aren’t as yet defined at all. Members with views on how this system should or could work, are welcome to get in touch.

Communications Alliance | Existing Customer Authentication Industry Code Draft | 20 Sept

Communications Alliance have published a draft Existing Customer Authentication Industry Code for review which seeks to provide a framework for customer authentication. For carriage service providers, this will entail having measures in place to verify a customer’s identity effectively and securely.

The Regional Telecommunications Review | 30 Sept

Every three years, the Regional Telecommunications Independent Review Committee is appointed to conduct a review on status of telecommunications within regional, rural and remote Australia.  The issues this review will tackle include the impact of existing government policies, service reliability, emerging technologies and regional development.

If you have any comments or would like to find additional information about the above, please email us at policy@internet.asn.au

 

Recent Home Affairs Submission

September’s Advocacy Corner Update

IAA submitted on the Home Affairs Strengthening Australia’s cyber security regulations and incentives paper. In our submission, we highlighted the complexity of existing cybersecurity legislation, especially for smaller ISPs to navigate. We commented on suggested mechanisms which could promote the uptake of cybersecurity, including minimum standards for personal information and health checks for small businesses. We called on Home Affairs to collaboratively engage with relevant industry stakeholders throughout the process of drafting cybersecurity regulation or processes. 

IAA supported the extension of the Wholesale ADSL to 20 June 2024 in our recent submission to the ACCC. We raised the point that WADSL as continues to be prominent in rural, regional and remote areas, it needs to be provisioned for.  

We also expressed our perspective on ACMA’s Statement of Expectations (SoE) for the Telecommunications Industry with regards to vulnerable consumers. We extended our support to the SoE, however, highlighted that for smaller ISPs, some objectives and examples regarding financial hardship and customer service would be difficult to meet because of resource constraints. 

The ACCC published updated Non-Discrimination Guidelines for the telecommunications sector, a process we responded to in June. In the new Guidelines, the ACCC will assess whether NBN Co or access providers have acted in a discriminatory manner by conducting an explicit or implicit discrimination test. A quick summary of how this process will work is available here.  

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