NSW BUDGET: FILLING IN THE DIGITAL BLACKSPOTS IN COUNTRY NSW

NSW BUDGET: FILLING IN THE DIGITAL BLACKSPOTS IN COUNTRY NSW

Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall trying to find some mobile reception to make a call.

Monday, 17 June 2019

 

TOMORROW’S State Budget will include a new $400 million digital infrastructure package for homes, businesses and emergency services, Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall announced today.

 

The investment will cover the creation of data hubs, improvements to farm digital infrastructure and remove mobile blackspots in the rural and regional NSW over the next four years.

 

Mr Marshall said he was delighted that the State Government was providing funding to address a fundamental need in country NSW – better mobile phone reception and data connectivity.

 

“Although telecommunications has been strictly the remit of the Commonwealth Government, mobile blackspots present huge risks in emergency situations and inhibit business development and growth,” Mr Marshall said.

 

“Our regions aren’t backwaters and we deserve to have first-class coverage and connectivity too. This program will ensure that everyone across our state gets the very best in digital connectivity.

 

“People right across the Northern Tablelands should have access to the very best mobile phone and internet services and I’ll be working my hardest to ensure we get a big slice of the funding from this new initiative.”

 

Mr Marshall said the Connect Regional NSW program would revolutionise the way we live in the regions by building data hubs and investing in backhaul to improve internet connectivity.

 

“This unparalleled investment is a turning point in connectivity for our region,” Mr Marshall said.

 

“The $400 million Connect Regional NSW program will deliver faster internet speeds, better mobile phone coverage, and a potential future of 5G connectivity.”

 

The Connect Regional NSW program will focus on three priority areas:

 

  • Internet and data – Investigate the design of data hubs and fibre-optic cables to make internet connectivity faster and more reliable.
  • Farm and water – Infrastructure to enhance competitiveness and productivity for our farming industry.
  • Mobile – eliminating mobile black spots where people live and work.

 

Mr Marshall said the NSW Government would now explore locations for this infrastructure in regional NSW.

 

“The government has delivered 156 new mobile phone towers across NSW since 2015, including nine in the Northern Tablelands, which has allowed 6,000 more Triple Zero emergency calls to be made, and that is just the beginning,” Mr Marshall said.

 

“Connect Regional NSW will bring access to services you need, from emergency services to agribusiness and farming industries, without the worry of whether they have mobile phone reception, or a strong enough internet signal.”

 

The Connect Regional NSW program is being funded by the $4.2 billion Snowy Hydro Legacy Fund, which is dedicated to being spent on transformative infrastructure in regional NSW.

 

Visit www.nsw.gov.au/connectregionalnsw for more information.

 

 

 

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