Bob M,
Take a moment to read, I mean actively read, what has been previously written.
ASA do not have Shareholder (s).
They have one, the Australian Government (as I have written before). Ready, they have one shareholder, the Australian government.
They , after consultation with the interested parties which you have previously posted yourself,
"ABIT includes representatives from Airservices, CASA, DOTARS, Defence, international airlines,
domestic airlines, regional airlines, airports, general aviation, sports aviation, recreational aviation,
avionics manufacturers & installers, flying training, and search & rescue"
are making a pitch to their 100% shareholder, the Australian Government to bring in ADS-B coverage . Alot of the area it will be covering had NO previous surveillance. Dick, this means they are NOT in most cases replacing SSRs, but putting in radar like coverage where previously there was NONE.
For this to work effectively, ie to see everyone, they are going to subsidise the fitment into the GA fleet of ADS-B. As an Air Traffic Controller the ability to see aircraft in 'real time' is a god send. We are not there to play Big Brother, we are there to make sure people get from A to B safely with as few delays as possible.
Bob, I understand when you say "something that seems too good to be true. usually is". This case is the exception, the airlines are willing to pay so that we (ATC) can see you.
They understand that you would scream blue murder if you were forced to pay for your own kit (and you vote, and have members of Parliament, who happen to be the Australian Government, who happen to be the 100% shareholders of ASA). Please grasp the fact that the airlines and ASA know that GA have to be, for want of a better term, 'bribed' through the subsidy.
It is no skin of my nose , if you kill the whole thing. We will just have to continue with the very restrictive procedural separation.
I hope you now have a better understanding of why they are willing to pay for your fitment. ADS-B(Broadcast) is being used outside of radar coverage right now.
ADS-C (Contract), where aircraft downlink via satellite or ground based VHF on a time or event based reporting rate, has been used for at least 8 years in Australia. It allows us to use 30nm longitudinal separation over the ocean, instead of a 10 minute (about 70-80nm) standard.
It also incorporates Controller Pilot Dialogue (CPDLC)which comes up on our, and the pilots displays, to ask for level changes, Wx diversions, football scores etc, we have been using this for over 11 years, and Flying Binghi,guess what, it kept working right on through the morning of 911 and was invaluable for communicating with the aircraft already in the air from the States coming to Australia on that fateful day.
Dick, our ADS(C) guru goes to the States (they pay) to instruct and lecture the US military, he is also a front line controller. He is internationally regarded as one of the leaders in the field. Sometimes you might want to admit that we actually are leaders in the field and some of what we do is 'Worlds Best Practice'. (I hate that saying)