Call for NBN rollout in rural Australia

Rural communities that have limited broadband access are being called on by the Federal Government to nominate themselves for the first portion of the National Broadband network’s $43 billion.

A pledge to help speed up the rollout of the Fibre-to-the-Home network from the government to the rural areas of Australia that need it the most with a cash injection of $250 million has been reaffirmed by Stephen Conroy, the Communication Minister.

The final negotiations with Aurora Energy and the Federal Government are under way with the Tasmanian government in order to determine the exact details of the state-based build, following its success in submitting its proposal for the old NBN project, with July set as the expected date for construction to begin.

Senator Conroy said “We are moving to immediately improve the competitive market in regional Australia and are fast-tracking a $250 million investment in backbone fibre optic transmission links. In parts of Australia — particularly links connecting our rural and regional areas — competition is limited as there is only a single provider of these services.”

Stakeholders have been called on to help prioritise and identify locations throughout the region that the NBN project would offer the most benefit to in a consultation paper recently released by Senator Conroy.

Comments regarding the technical parameter that would be associated with the NBN deployment and arrangements for ownership of the infrastructure, funding and the delivery of service were also requested by the paper.

Senator Conroy said “We want to work closely with all stakeholders and move quickly to make these investments.”

Submissions to the consultation paper in order to increase their chances of securing a part of the funding for $250 million that is on offer are expected to be made by construction firms and telecommunications carrier like Downer EDI, Leighton Holdings and Transfield.

Locations that only have one provider of backhaul services including Mt Gambier in South Australia, Darwin in the Northern Territory, Geraldton in Western Australia, Mt Isa in Queensland, Mildura in Victoria and Broken Hill in New South Wales have already been confirmed by the ACCC.