The government announced round two of its black spots program, met with loud support from various farm groups.
According to Stock and Land, the mobile black spots program aims to curb the digital divide between urban users and those from regional areas.
The government said the second round program, worth $60 million, will cover 1400 black spots throughout the country and will be addressed through 266 new base stations.
Alternately, Labor Shadow Regional Communications Minister Stephen Jones is wary of the program. He suggests the government has politicised the black spots movement and are being purposefully slow in delivering new mobile towers.
However, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull defended his government. He reinforced that the Coalition is committed to fixing mobile black spots and that the first round of the program saw 499 new base stations.
Mr Turnbull added that the second round would allocate about $220 million of the government’s money in addressing the 1400 black spots with the additional 266 new base stations.
“$60m of government money is leveraging $213m in total from the telecommunication companies, so this is a great win for regional and rural Australia and it is ensuring that all Australians have access to good mobile reception.”
Politics aside, this program is good news for Australians with difficulty accessing a stable connection.
Over recent years, the nbn has strengthened efforts in providing a fast, reliable connection to benefit individuals and business.
With a steady effort and effective program, the future is bright for Australia.
The nbn®’s Sky Muster satellite brings better satellite internet connectivity to regional Australia. To get onboard Sky Muster, call Activ8me today 13 22 88 or visit: activ8me.net.au/internet/skymuster