Hi, friends, hope you’re doing OK. Let’s jump into some tech news, eh?
1. Revised pricing submitted by NBN Co
Yesterday afternoon, the company responsible for rolling out the National Broadband Network submitted a variation to its proposed future pricing structure and service agreements. The revised Special Access Undertaking includes capping how much NBN providers can charge for the lower-tiered NBN plans (12Mbps, 25Mbps, and 50 Mbps fixed line and fixed wireless speed tiers); keeping ‘bundle’ prices at around the cost they are now for NBN50; and getting rid of capacity charges from the 100Mbps and above plans. You can read more here.
2. Amazon gives sellers no choice but to use its shipping service
Now to Bloomberg, with reports that Amazon.com is imposing a new fee on merchants who don’t use the company’s logistics services. As noted by the report, it’s a change many sellers consider coercive, and surprising, especially given the fact the U.S. government is apparently getting ready to file an antitrust lawsuit against the company.
3. Twitter cum X wants you to submit your ID
The Verge brought to our attention this morning that Twitter cum X is working on a new way to prove who you are. That’s all, that’s the news.
4. Australia’s ELA signs space deal
Equatorial Launch Australia (ELA, which is the developer, owner, and operator of the Arnhem Space Centre on the Gove Peninsula in the NT) has today signed a multi-year, multi-launch contract with Korean Aerospace Company, INNOSPACE, for a series of orbital launches from the Australian spaceport. The agreement will see the launch of several INNOSPACE rocket variants each carrying between 50kg and 500kg payloads into low earth orbit from the ASC across a five-year timeframe until Dec 2028.
5. Big tech has to do better
Australia’s eSafety Commissioner this week outlined steps she wants industry to take to prevent generative AI being weaponised, warning AI-generated child sexual abuse material and deepfakes are already being reported to eSafety investigators. Her office provided specific “Safety by Design” interventions for industry to adopt immediately to improve user safety and empowerment. “If industry fails to systematically embed safety guardrails into generative AI from the outset, harms will only get worse as the technology becomes more widespread and sophisticated,” eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said. And.. preach.
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See you Friday!