The argument in favour of this “prohibition on internet freedom” goes like this….

1. We MUST protect children from Paedophiles.

Agreed. Duh!

Instead of asking the internet industry how. The politicians decide….

2. We MUST filter the internet to protect children.

Agreed-ish, supervision is best for protection and for positive learning but in the absence of a responsible adult a powerful filter can be suitable.

3. We MUST make filtering of the internet mandatory.

There are many serious implications and better solutions. Frankly this goes too far.

The emotional argument

When an objection is raised about this policy the counter argument is the most concerning. Instead of addressing the concerns the response is purely emotional. The proponents have stated the obvious, of course we must protect children from pedophiles, they’ve then linked it to their goal so anyone that objects to a “mandatory filtering” is denounced as a paedophile or a paedophile supporter. This is a outrageous, a politician should use their elected position to be wise and considered not emotional and ill-informed.

Crafty word-smiths know this response can completely bypass all the facts by getting to the heart of the emotional issue without even focusing on what is best for our children, so it goes something like this…

Don’t you think preventing one case of child abuse is worth the risk of harming the internet in Australia?

My response?

Preventing one case of child abuse with this policy means many more children will be put at risk of abuse through a false sense of security, i.e. assuming the internet (in Australia) has been made safe.

@MikeFitzAU’s cartoon below makes the point about a false sense of security very well….

Economic Harm

Testing has been released on systems that will slow our internet by up to 87%, make it more expensive, miss the vast majority of inappropriate content and accidentally block up to 1 in 12 legitimate sites. Our children deserve better protection – and that won’t be achieved by wasting millions on this deeply flawed system.

From http://www.getup.org.au/campaign/SaveTheNet/442

Slow your internet by 87%? That would be like going back to dial-up networking for most people. Do you want Australia to go back 5-10 years in terms of internet bandwidth and remain behind every country in the world for ever more? That is not good for our kids.

At the most basic level we all know that the speed of a website is important. If it’s slow we move on. If the whole internet is slow we will use it less, we will buy less online and the evolution of the internet in Australia and all the benefits it has brought over the last 5-10 years will be damaged.

Our knowledge economy will be seriously hampered, all sorts of businesses rely on the internet.

This damage will put Australia at a disadvantage that will grow year after year unless businesses and individuals go to extra efforts to bypass the filter.

What’s in our kid’s best interests?

Not this “mandatory filter” for all sorts of reasons.

1. It won’t protect children
2. It’ll put more children at risk through a false sense of security
3. It’ll harm the economy

Use the money to educate parents and kids about the dangers online so people can understand the need for parental supervision and in-home filtering.

Other links

• MikeFitzAU’s blog post with a great Mind Map of the issue
  
• Dear Minister Conroy. A letter from a father of two about the Mandatory Filter
• China and Google, a comparison with Australia’s plans
• Take action: Join Get Up
• Stop Internet Censorship

If you have a relevant link or a comment please post below.

I called Three Australia to enquire about a $10 late-payment fine on my $24.50 mobile broadband package.

Three Australia fined me

Three Australia provide my mobile broadband.  I hardly ever use especially now I have an android phone it but it has been worth having for meetings with clients where we want to use the laptop.

ASIDE: It also works well with Linux (on my laptop)…. it is however terrible on Windows XP (also on the laptop, via dual boot) because I have Norton 360 and somehow that’s not compatible.

Okay so I should have paid $26.50, $24.50 + $2 for a paper bill on the 4th if August and I actually paid on the 12th of August. I hold my hands up and admit it I was naughty!

A $10 fine seems excessive and as it was the first late payment in well over 18 months of my 24 month contract

Calling Three Australia about mobile broadband

I called the “Need Help?” number 13 33 20 and navigate through the robot. I’m not a fan.

I speak to a guy from India called Avie, I have never called in 18 months of being a customer so have no idea of my pin number. He asks all sorts of other questions that are not in any way authenticating but eventually he says I’ve passed security… er okay

I explain my simple point that I am a good customer without ever paying a bill late before and I’d like this fine waived please.

No! He doesn’t even check. According to him three is free from considerations like taking care of customers.

He says over and over “IT IS IN THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS” like this is some free pass to rip-off customers.

So I ask two question…

• When does my contract end? Answer: 17-Jan-10
• Can I speak to a supervisor? He puts me on hold.

Oh dear. Three Australia have staff and/or telecom problems.

10 minutes later I’m waiting and waiting listening to the same music over and over. Thankfully it is not wasted time as I am still working at my desk.

After 15 minutes I think to myself, is he ever coming back? Am I alone here?

I decide to call up on my other phone line and try and speak to a supervisor another way.

More Three Australia beauracratic rubbish

After yet another confusing session with the call-centre robot I get through to Tania.

I asked right away for the supervisor.

She refuses without an explanation.

I explain that I want to complain about her colleague.

She refuses without knowing who.

I explain that I am not stupid enough to tell her and she ought to just put me in touch with a supervisor.

No.

Hmmmmm.

Helpfulness score so far ZERO out of TWO people.

Avie of Three Australia returns

Just as I hit that other dead end the previous dead end came on the line proffering a supervisor.

Bye bye Tania. Click.

Three Australia supervisior Sharon

I was taking notes by this stage so I wanted to find out how many letter “r” are in Sharon for my notes. She didn’t know.

Not a good start I thought.

Aside: We know a few Sharrons in OZ with two and in the UK the most common spelling is with one, i.e. Sharon.

Three Australia mobile broadband did waive the $10 late payment fee

So at great length she explained that because I’d never been late before she would indeed consider waiving the late payment fine but it was such a lot of waffle I couldn’t tell if she was actually doing it or not.

I asked outright…. “Will you waive it YES or NO?”

Eventually she stopped waffling and said “Yes”

I asked why Avie, the first operator, had left me on hold for so long and been so rude about not doing something she could actually just do right away.

She said she was the one with the power to waive.

I made some MBA type recommendations about improving Avie’s training and empowering him with $10 waiving rights if the customer is a good customer and worth not upsetting. She agreed but implied it was not in her power to do anything.

I was upset: “I want nothing to do with Three Australia”

I explained that once my contract ends on the 17th of January 2010 I want nothing to do with them and will be not be renewing my contract.

I tried to get a straight answer about paying the three or four months left on my contract in advance so I could just forget about bills from them and getting fined ever again. Sharon couldn’t help me and put me on hold “for 2 minutes” to transfer me to cancellations”

5 minutes later I’m thinking – oh great here I go again.

Sharon came on the line transferred me.

Carmen explained that Sharon has told her everything hence the massive delay, so now wanted to cancel my contract there and then and charge me $98.

Hello? What? Er, no.

I explained yet again that all I needed to know was how much to pay in advance for all the future bills and I would cancel on the 17th of January.

She couldn’t tell me because she couldn’t work out whether it was 3 or 4 months of bills to January.

I asked: Can I pay in advance?

Yes

Ok, Goodbye, click.

Conclusions of Three Australia’s Mobile Broadband Call-Centre

1. I’m, not surprised Avie, the first guy I spoke to, is a grumpy rude individual. He must be very frustrated that he can’t even waive a $10 late payment fee to someone who ticks all the boxes…. never late before and reasonably likely to renew they contract.
2. Tania, also on the front line was equally hostile and useless. I assume that’s just part of being the “buffer” or “front line” on the call-centre. The feeling I get from both of these two is… the customer is NOT right, this is a call-centre damn-it!
3. Supervisor Sharon. Can’t spell your own name? Even if it is a fake name – know how to spell or listen to the customer and stop waffling garbage.
4. Carmen. Useless, what was Sharon talking to you about?
5. It seems like call centres suck, for customers and employees. The only winners seem to be fat cats that don’t ever go to or endure their own call-centers and get to pocket fines from people who hang up when the call-centre front line treats them like dirt. Surely there is a better way.
6. I’d never noticed before but I think Three Australia’s bills have always arrived quite some time after the “issued date” this months was a whole week and I know the post isn’t that slow. I’m going to be watching now.
7. Pay your bill on time in Australia or get fined like the criminal you are.
8. I will now be moving my mobile broadband to anywhere but three when the contract date ends. I’m looking for a new dead. I like the look of Dodo’s pay-as-you-go so I’ll look that up.
9. When my mobile phone contract is up next (personal or business) I am confident Three Australia’s mobile service will be last on my list with a line through it.

Final tip for Three Australia

Be careful who you upset. They may just be a Brisbane SEO Professional that can write a really damning article about his own personal experience of your rubbish customer services with all sorts of top keywords in it about your company.

Notes

For international readers this is common in Australia, companies bill monthly for things billed for quarterly in most countries and then it feels like they go out of their way to get fine you.