# In This Issue

- $7/m tax on non-NBN fixed line connections to prop up the NBN gets go-ahead

- MSY no longer being acquired by a graphite mining company

- Bezos drops $10b to start a climate change solution fund

- HPE has an all new MicroServer that brings it back to the nerd favourite it once was

- Cheap Boost Mobile 12m SIM & first month free with Aussie Broadband NBN

# News

#### $7/m tax on non-NBN fixed line connections to prop up the NBN gets go-ahead

The Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee has approved a Regional Broadband Scheme, a $7.10 monthly charge/tax on all non-NBN fixed-line broadband connections. NBN has argued it's unfair they have to support unprofitable satellite and fixed wireless networks, but other telcos (mainly FTTB/FTTP networks in metro and greenfield areas) don't have those obligations and that's unfair. I reckon it's a ruse by the government to make the NBN appear more price competitive and if semi-fixed 5G takes off in metro areas this tax will absolutely be expanded to wireless services.

#### MSY no longer being acquired by a graphite mining company

A little while ago some rando ASX-listed mining company called Lanka Graphite wanted to buy MSY and pivot from mining into technology retail. Weird, but these things happen in the business world. Today Lanka Graphite told the market that they've terminated the $17m bid for MSY due to "further delays" and decided to buy bio-pharmaceutical company Oculus Biomed instead. I think everyone's first reaction here is, "holy shit MSY and its dank stores are worth $17m?!". The value Lanka Graphite saw in MSY has gotta be in property due to MSY's 17 stores across Australia, right?

#### Bezos drops $10b to start a climate change solution fund

Jeff Bezos (world's richest man with a net worth of US$130b) posted on Instagram today that he is launching the Bezos Earth Fund and endowing it with US$10b (7.7% of his fortune) to "fund scientists, activists, NGOs - any effort that offers a real possibility to help preserve and protect the natural world". It'd be easy to write off $10b as a token effort from Bezos here considering he has US$130b at his disposal, but $10b is ten fucken billion so the real question is will what he throws money at make any difference beyond Bezos feeling warm and fuzzy? A "person close to the fund" told The Verge that it's not investment, but grants. You tell Uncle Jeff what you want the money for and if it ticks his boxes you get it.

# Not News

#### HPE has an all new MicroServer that brings it back to the nerd favourite it once was

The HPE MicroServer was a brilliant little home/SOHO server HP sold about a decade ago that was quiet, held 4x HDDs and had remote lights out management in a well built-chassis. Heaps of nerds I know (including myself) had one but HP failed to give it any love for years. The subsequent models either had pissweak CPUs, were expensive or left out iLO so home users didn't really buy new MicroServers like they did the first one and opting for a Synology NAS instead. For 2020 HPE have an all new MicroServer and unlike previous models, it's good! The form factor is basically as compact as you can get whilst still holding 4x 3.5" drives, Intel Xeon CPUs, iLO 5 and a low-profile PCIe 16x slot. Hopefully pricing isn't ridiculous.

# Bargains

- $150 for 12m unlimited calls & 120GB of data from Boost Mobile

- First month free with Aussie Broadband NBN (doesn’t apply to FTTP 150 & 250 plans)

🎶 Sucker For Punishment - Alex Lahey

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