If you saw a sure-fire plan to ease urban congestion, reinvigorate regional areas, give the next generation skills, boost productivity and make first-class health care and education available to all, would you sign up for it?If you’re a National Party MP, the perplexing answer is no because it seems the party of Black Jack McEwen and Doug Anthony no longer believes in nation building. It opposes the National Broadband Network (NBN). Indeed, it will help Tony Abbott turn his back on the future if he wins office at the next election.Political allegiance and ideology aside, it’s hard to understand the logic of opposing this vital piece of infrastructure.As we export our mineral wealth offshore, we have two options: we can indulge in another round of tax cuts and plasma televisions, or we can invest in the future, setting our kids up for the Asian century.I know which option I’m backing. The NBN is a boon for regional Australia on so many fronts.Anyone living with a chronic illness in a regional centre understands the huge potential of the NBN. This month, diabetes patients in Townsville are taking part in a tele-health trial. They will receive high-quality monitoring and video conferencing services with doctors and nurses.A similar trial is underway in Kiama and Armidale in NSW. Patients will have their blood pressure, glucose levels and lung function monitored remotely. They will also receive home video consultations from doctors.At Circular Head Christian School in Tasmania students are now accustomed to 100-megabit-per-second fibre optic broadband. The school is looking at linking with training organisations for video conferencing sessions.And these are all just trials. Imagine the potential power of this technology in a decade.The NBN has the potential to dramatically reshape our lives for good. The implications for the world of work are huge. Already 7 per cent of Australians work from home, while a further 25 per cent spend some of the working week away from the workplace. Millions more will take advantage of the option, once crystal-clear video conferencing, super-fast file transfer and collaborative desktops are the norm rather than the exception.Teleworking will reshape our cities and regions. Time wasted sitting on clogged motorways or on late, overcrowded trains and buses will be drastically cut, with Access Economics estimating the full economic benefit at $3.9billion per year. For regional Australia, the magnet of working in the cities will be weakened. Not only will fewer people feel the need to leave the regions; increasing numbers will take up the tree change or a sea change option. There’s also a direct employment benefit of 20,000 jobs each year from the construction of the NBN. The development of this skilled trades workforce cannot be underestimated. With a multi-decade resources boom on the horizon, Australia will have a pool of skilled tradespeople at the ready, easing capacity constraints on our workforce.Building lasting prosperity requires vision, commitment and determination. As communities in Tasmania, far north Queensland and NSW areas such as Kiama are learning, fibre optic broadband is a pathway to the future. It would be a shame to stop now, with that pathway half paved.Allen Hicks is the assistant national secretary of the Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union. He co-ordinates the CEPU’s NBN coverage.