From: axl867@huxley.anu.edu.au (Albert Langer)
Newsgroups: aus.aarnet,comp.org.eff.talk
Subject: URGENT Internet upgrade proposals due 23 November - $13M
Followup-To: aus.aarnet,comp.org.eff.talk
Date: 9 Nov 1992 11:05:50 GMT
Organization: Roger Clarke, Secretary, "Narrow Bandwidth Applications" WG
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: 150.203.2.12
Summary: A $13M grant for research on upgrading AARNet, the downunder 
 Internet, needs research proposals and CVs of researchers by November 23
 or earlier. If you are on the net (not necessarily Australia) and know
 what needs fixing/upgrading or how to do it, tell us now. "Matching funds"
 also welcome. Pass it on. Stay in touch. The saga will continue.
Keywords: AARNet Australia Internet Research Grants

"The [Australian] Government will provide $13.17 million over the next two
years to upgrade the research data network in Australia (AARNet). A working
party will develop a proposal for the expansion of the existing computer
and communications network and upgrading its capacity, through the formation
of a Research Data Network Cooperative Research Centre."

("Developing Australian Ideas", Minister for Science and Technology, Aug. 1992)

The working party disbanded after endorsing Telecom Australia's proposal to 
spend the grant on "broadband" (B-ISDN) "market development", with a deadline 
of 14 days for any alternative proposals.

The Office of the Chief Scientist, Department of the Prime Minister and
Cabinet, has intervened to open things up a bit. All proposals will be
considered on their merits. 

The "Narrow Bandwidth Applications" Working Group is especially interested
in proposals from the many individuals and groups around the world that
built the Internet and are working to improve it. We would like to see AARNet 
enhanced for wider access, as originally promised to the Australian Parliament
and further explained in a series of Ministerial press releases.

Please do not waste time discussing whether there is enough time. That topic 
can be considered in December. Right now we need action, not complaints.
 
For official information, contact Dr Simon Pelling at the Office of the
Chief Scientist: 3-5 National Circuit, Barton ACT 2600, AUSTRALIA. 
Voice: +61 6 271 5953 Fax: +61 6 271 5352 (no, they have NO Internet address)

He may tell you that outline research proposals should be provided by
November 9, along with CVs of key researchers. That is a request to help
speed up assessment. If you are or were able to do that, fine. If not, the 
"Narrow Bandwidth Applications" WG would like to include independent 
proposals with our application before November 23.

For applications that are "truly broadband (require more than 2 Mb/s)"
advice can be obtained from the liaison contacts for Telecom Australia's 
earlier proposal, according to a fax dated 27 October and received 30 October 
from Telecom Australia's General Manager, Network Strategy.

Telecom's liaison contact was Dr Noel Teede, General Manager, Customer 
Services and Systems, Telecom Research Laboratories - n.teede@trl.oz.au
According to an earlier fax from Dr Teede, "preference will be given to
applications which are ... Truly broadband (> 10 Mbit/s)..." 

For proposals that enhance the Internet and therefore also enhance and upgrade
it's Australian regional, advice can be obtained from the "Narrow Bandwidth
Applications" Working Group. Send email with the word "SUBSCRIBE"
to balance-request@coombs.anu.edu.au and regularly checkout anonymous ftp:

 coombs.anu.edu.au:balance

There is very little time left for the many existing research groups
or individuals who know what needs doing and how to do it, to send in their 
ideas and/or CVs. Don't wait for answers to any questions. Start writing now. 

We also urgently need offers of "matching funds", which can be in cash 
or "kind". Again, participation is not limited to Australia.

Contributions "in kind" might for example include secondment of staff,
or a percentage of staff time, rights to use software (including "freely
available" software), access to facilities available through the net,
assignment of graduate or undergraduate students or classes to RDN-CRC
project tasks - and so on.

Even access to "broadband" beta-test facilities and secondment of staff
that would be managing those facilities anyway has been proposed as
"matching funds" by Telecom Australia. So has a proportion of the access
fees paid to AARNet's owners and retained by them. Be creative! 

Please pass this on to anybody who might be able to help with either 
aspect, and post short pointers to this message in relevant newsgroups
and mailing lists.

Please note followup-to aus.aarnet and comp.org.eff.talk. Further 
announcements will be in those two newsgroups only and responses elsewhere 
may not be received. Use both as aus.aarnet is not widely available.

If you cannot meet the 23 November deadline, please get in touch anyway.
This saga will continue. Excerpts of background info below.

(Signed) Roger Clarke, Secretary of "Narrow Bandwidth Applications"
Working Group established at the RDN-CRC workshop, 25 September.

Reader in Information Systems
Department of Commerce
Australian National University
Canberra   ACT   2600
Fax:      +61  6  249 5005  or  249 3942
Email:    clarcomm@fac.anu.edu.au
Tel:      +61  6  249 3666  or  249 3664

                  ***

The Budget White Paper on Science tabled in the Australian Parliament
on 18 August 1992 described the grant as follows:

                  ***

Research Data Network

($9.00 million in 1992-93; $13.17 million over two years)

The Government will provide $13.17 million over the next two years
to upgrade the research data network in Australia (AARNet). A working
party will develop a proposal for the expansion of the existing computer
and communications network and upgrading of its capacity, through the
formation of a Research Data Network Cooperative Research Centre. The
proposal will be evaluated and funded under the Cooperative Research
Centres Program, and will be required to meet the normal CRC
selection criteria. In particular the proposal must be relevant to
industry and other research users, and will be developed with their
involvement and support. It will also be dependent on the provision
of matching funds by industry and the research and user communities.
Funding of this centre will not impede the support, rising to $119
million by 1995, to be provided to up to 50 Centres selected in
three selection rounds of the Program.

The initiative will address one of the major needs for research
infrastructure identified by the ASTEC in its recent report on
national research facilities, and also highlighted in a recent
report to the Prime Minister's Science Council.

                  *** 

Excerpts from subsequent Ministerial press releases follow:

                  ***

The upgrading of the existing research data network (AARNet) has been
identified as a critical infrastructure requirement for Australian
research in several recent studies.

These studies have pointed to the need to upgrade the capacity and speed
of the network to allow a wider range of services, and extend the
network to industry and other research users.

This is a particularly important issue for Cooperative Research Centres,
which bring together participants in both the public and private sectors,
often at several locations within and between States...

The CRC will provide for appropriate leading-edge equipment, and conduct
the research, development and training necessary to support its use.

[Budget Lockup Press Kit approx 18 August 1992]

                  ***

The RDN CRC is a significant initiative which will benefit many existing
and potential network users, and allow the development of advanced
network technologies and services... The CRC mechanism is an excellent
means of responding to the need for such facilities and services in the
scientific and industrial communities, given the cooperative focus
of CRCs and the emphasis on industrial participation.

Advanced networks can have an important impact on business development
and productivity in sectors such as transport, information services,
manufacturing, health and community services... I am particularly
looking to the proposed CRC to improve the use and application of
advanced data networks by industry in general.

[8 September 1992 - 133/92]

                  ***

(The press releases contain no other relevant information, apart from
details of the working group that has now disbanded, and expressions
of confidence in it, which may or may not still apply)

Following excerpt is from a "paper presented by an independent working
group for consideration by the Prime Minister's Science Council", mentioned
by the Minister. 

                  ***

Australia needs to establish a high speed R&D network infrastructure
nationally and internationallyh that will allow Australia to participate
and compete in global IT&T economies. Such a network will revolutionise the
ability of Australian enterprises, researchers and educators to carry out
collaborative research, development and education activities, regardless
of the physical location of the participants or the computational resources
to be used. The network would enhance the current Australian Academic
Research Network (AARNet) operated by the Australian Vice Chancellors
Committee (AVCC). Its implementation must give particular emphasis to
the requirements of industry...

["Information Technology and Telecommunications: Looking to the year 2000"
Published by the Office of the Chief Scientist, 18 May 1992]

                  ***

Following excerpt is from the other recent study referred to by the
Minister - by ASTEC, the Australian Science and Technology Council
(an independent statutory body).

                  ***

The Very High-speed Research Data Network will upgrade the existing
Australian Academic and Research Network (AARNet) which provides a
national electronic data transmission system connecting all higher
education institutions in Australia, CSIRO and a number of government
and non-government research facilities. The existing system has been
successful, with traffic levels increasing five-fold since its inception
in May 1990, but the network is already starting to falter under these
demands. Electronic networks have had unprecedented impact worldwide
by enabling cooperative research to be carried out over a wide
geographical distribution of centres. The proposed facility will
provide very high-speed electronic communication and access to
information bases, both nationally and internationally. (Appendix D6)

The proposed high-speed network is primarily academic in focus, but
ASTEC believes that it could be expanded to serve the entire Australian
research community and, in particular, to increase linkages with
industry. The proposal would also have to be developed to include an
element of independent peer review in setting priorities for development
and access.

["Major National Research Facilities: A National Program", 27 February 1992]

                  ***

Background Notes:

There is no reference to the ambiguous concepts "high speed" or "Very
high speed", let alone "broadband" in the Minister's statements. Instead
the term "advanced" is used. This may or may not be significant.

These terms should be understood in their Australian context. The dominant
means of document transfer in Australia are still snailmail and group III
fax, with commercial email services extremely underdeveloped. There is no
local Commercial Internet Exchange providing easy Internet access over
dialup lines etc, despite large (metropolitan city wide) local call areas
with untimed local calls.

AARNet has a staff of two and relies on the staff of client sites (mainly
Universities) for facilities management and end user support. Use of more
advanced existing network applications such as WAIS, X.500 etc is still
relatively underdeveloped in Australia.

Most Australian Universities are currently connected to AARNet at 48 Kbps,
with upgrade plans for 128 Kbps. AARNet is connected to the rest of the
Internet at 0.5 Mbps with upgrade plans for 1.5 Mbps (T1). T3 (and E3)
links are not commercially available in Australia and the main "backbone"
trunk route of AARNet currently runs at 2 Mbps.

--
Working Group on "Narrow Bandwidth Applications", RDN-CRC - Australia.
c/- Room 42, Red Cedars Motel, cnr Stirling Ave & Aspinall St, Watson ACT 2602
Voice: +61 6 241 3222. Fax: 241 2355. Internet: axl867@huxley.anu.edu.au