UNDER the Coalition Government’s $100million mobile blackspot program 17 new or upgraded base stations will be funded, servicing areas across Eden-Monaro.
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In the Bega Valley, black spots at Barragga Bay, Greigs Flat, Nethercote, Pambula and Towamba will all be addressed.
“This is a great outcome for Eden-Monaro, with a total of $8.52million to be invested on new or improved mobile coverage in the area,” Member for Eden-Monaro Peter Hendy said on Thursday.
“In Eden-Monaro we had 148 black spots nominated by local residents to be eligible for new or improved mobile coverage under the Mobile Black Spot Program, and today’s announcement will see 59 of those mobile black spots receive coverage.”
A further $60million in funding has been announced for Round Two of the programme.
“I have been very busy over the last few months building support through a petition and listening posts to address the issue – in the Bega Valley, up and down the Eurobodalla Coast, across the Monaro and high country, and around the capital region.
“The message has been clear; the $100million Mobile Phone blackspot program is a great start, but after six years of no action and no plan by Labor, we need to do more.”
Round Two of the Mobile Black Spot Program, and Telstra’s commitment to build 200 new 4G mini base stations, will offer further opportunities to meet unmet demand and provide coverage to more locations around regional and remote Australia.
Parliamentary secretary to the Minister for Communications Paul Fletcher said that the outcome of the Mobile Black Spot Programme had significantly exceeded expectations.
“Almost 500 new or upgraded mobile base stations will be built across regional and remote Australia, covering a total of 3000 mobile black spots from the more than 6000 black spots nominated by the public,” Mr Fletcher said.
For Round Two, the government will re-open a database allowing members of the public to nominate further locations in outer metropolitan, regional and remote Australia which do not have mobile coverage.
Nominations can be emailed to mobilecoverage@communications.gov.au.
The first base stations to be funded under the programme will begin to roll out in the second half of 2015, and the full roll out will continue over a three year period.
A map of locations which will receive new or upgraded coverage under the first round of funding under the Mobile Black Spot Programme is available here.
