Om Malik is a San Francisco based writer, photographer and investor. Read More
Australian for Broadband
In an effort to energize the broadband demand, and at the same out KO the competition, Aussie giant Telstra has introduced a low cost no frills broadband service that costs a mere nickel (US) more than what its wholesale price. Such a move stateside would get Michael Powell & FCC hopping mad. Down Under it is business!

It’s even worse than that, the wholesale price was not reduced until the complaints started and the regulator weighed in:
http://www.accc.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/486883
That service also is on a 24 month contract with only 200MB of data per month with data over the limit charged at 15c/MB (about 11c US). If you actually start using the broadband then the only way out is to upgrade to an “unlimited” (rate limited over 10GB in a month) for twice the price for the rest of your contract.