WE keep on hearing plenty about "the most momentous economic reform for decades", the emissions trading scheme. But what about the most momentous infrastructure project, the national broadband network?
Following Telstra public affairs chief Phil Burgess announcing his departure this week, there is intense industry speculation on how Telstra might change its tune in dealings with the Government. And there's always interest in when the spotlight will swing to Broadband Communications and Digital Economy Minister Stephen Conroy.
Many in the industry are unimpressed by the minister. They are pretty frank about his Opposition counterpart, Bruce Billson, as well.
Conroy isn't much, they say, but hasn't felt the blowtorch because his Coalition shadow is even less.
The criticism of Conroy may be unfair. He is quick-witted and engaging. And he is dealing with an issue with enormous complications and implications, an enormous price tag and an enormous amount that could go wrong.
Broadband touches the top end of town and mums and dads, yet of all Labor's big-ticket election promises, the national broadband network is probably the one we have heard the least about.
That may change when the submissions to the Senate select committee into the project close on September 12.
Even then, most will deal with the details of the technology and financing needed for the network. They'll be for the cognoscenti. But there are a couple of other fascinating spillovers into different debates.
"It's incredibly green," one industry consultant said of the national broadband network. "People can work from home so the number of commuter trips you need to make is much less."
Indeed, this individual believes high petrol prices are already cranking up demand for telecommunications and internet services.
Terria, one of the consortiums chasing the project, made up of Optus and seven smaller telcos, cheekily held a press conference in Parliament House yesterday to launch its bid.
Still, the industry seems to expect Telstra will come out on top, which could lead to some prickly parish pump politics.
"Phil Burgess read the writing on the wall," an industry figure said yesterday. "Telstra will change their tune. They will get control of the entity."
A makeover of telecommunications infrastructure would let Telstra offload much of its property portfolio.
"You don't need the local exchanges with DSL (digital subscriber lines)," a consultant said. "Telstra could cut the number of sites they have and free up one to two billion dollars worth of exchange buildings. If it's all optical fibre, you don't need them."
The broadband network could become a nimby issue with plenty of politics to test the minister and debates springing up that might amaze the techheads.