The Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (the Department) has commissioned the Allen Consulting Group (ACG) to undertake this study to quantify the economic gains associated with increasing the number of Australian households connected to the Internet.

Access to, and use of the Internet, is already central to the operation of the economy. However, high-speed broadband connections via the National Broadband Network (NBN) will increasingly provide high-speed Internet connectivity and allow for users to upload and download large computer files and video streaming. In the coming decade, the Internet will become increasingly important, with broadband access as fundamental a requirement for social and economic participation as the telephone and electricity.

Notably, access to the Internet at home - and particularly broadband access - is lagging amongst specific sub-groups in the population. Lagging access by the elderly, those in regional and remote areas and those in lower income earning brackets are of particular concern to the Department.