The Australian Federal Government has slashed fundings for the Australian Broadband Guarantee subsidy from $271 million in the 2008/09 budget over four years, to $230 million over the same period in this years 2009/10 budget. 

Department of Broadband Communications and the Digital Economy appear to have reduced spendings on initiatives such as the ABG in favor to support new programs such as Cyber Safety, the child protection initiative. The ABG funding reduction corresponds with the Governments $43 billion national broadband network plans to extend high speed broadband to regional Australia.

The Australian Broadband Guarantee was originally introduced as a $2500 incentive for National and Regional Internet Service Providers to offer Satellite, Wireless and ADSL services, with Internet access speeds comparable to metropolitan areas, to those in rural, regional and remote areas of Australia.

It seems that Broadband for the Bush will just have to wait, yet again, for the next ‘Government Broadband Project’ that will address backhaul and offer those Aussies who live outside major metro areas the high speed broadband services that they deserve.

Are your children and family members safe from online predators and inappropriate content? Are you concerned with what they’re seeing, who they’re chatting to, and what they’re downloading online?  Isn’t it our responsibility as parents to protect our children and nurture them through until adulthood? In light of the recent news which had a Melbourne schoolboy ‘hacking’ his way past a $84 million ‘poka yoke’ (foolproof) government porn filter within 30 minutes,  the thought of alternative content control software came to mind.  Perhaps Protection Filters should be given as much priority as that of Anti Virus software when purchasing Broadband Internet, and not something that should be necessarily left up to the government to implement. We all have our own types of moral interpretation and standards when it comes to parenting, and this should apply to the virtual world as much as it does to reality. And although it’s far from me to suggest a suitable method for parenting your child or protecting your family, however when it comes to online government protection filters, I thought it might be handy to know that there are in fact other alternatives out there too.

So what is a Content Control Software (aka Protection Filter)
In terms of Internet web filtering software, a protection filter controls permission levels of what a reader/viewer is able to read and see on the Internet. The software is typically installed on a home computer which has customized settings to suit filtering levels. Common features include blocking specific website access, logging/monitoring actions, and image filtering that can be set over a large range of categories. Most popular content control software is very easy to install and operate which makes it very user friendly.

Below are some popular independent content control software programs that you may want to check out.

Popular Protection Filter Software
Net Nanny:  http://www.netnanny.com/ 
“1 in 5 children aged 10 to 17 have received a sexual solicitation over the Internet.” Net Nanny is a powerful, yet simple to install parental control solution that helps parents protect their children and monitor their Internet use. More than an Internet Filter, it is peace of mind.

Safe Eyes: http://www.internetsafety.com/safe-eyes/
Facing off against 10 of the industry’s best known names – including AOL, Microsoft, Norton, and MacAfee – Safe Eyes 2005 was found to provide the best protection from unwanted Internet intrusions. 

CyberSitter: http://www.cybersitter.com 
Families today need more than plain common sense and supervision to keep their kids safe on the Internet. They need the help of experienced professionals who are constantly keeping abreast of on-line dangers your children may face.

CyberPatrol: http://www.cyberpatrol.com/ 
CyberPatrol is one of the most powerful and popular client-based, browser independent, Internet safety software solutions for Windows-based standalone PCs available today.

www.consumerreports.org/cro/electronics-computers/internet-filtering-software-605/overview/index.htm
http://www.wellresearchedreviews.com/computer-monitoring/?id=109&s=google&gclid=CJvhgO3txIsCFU9FGAod_xQWIQ