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Equitable bandwidth for the bush
13 Apr 2004
Farmers and rural communities will have the opportunity to access quality Internet services on an equitable basis with the welcome release of the Governments $107.8 million Higher Bandwidth Incentive Scheme (HiBIS) guidelines, National Farmers’ Federation Chief Executive Officer Ms Anna Cronin said.
Ms Cronin said the incentive payments of up to $3300 per customer should allow a variety of Internet service providers to use a range of technologies to deliver quality 256 kilobit per second Internet services at metropolitan prices to any location in rural and regional Australia.
“NFF urges carriers and potential service providers to register for the HiBIS program as it provides the opportunity to actually delivery quality telecommunications services rather than ‘rhetoric’ to rural Australia,” Ms Cronin said.
HiBIS is an outcome of the Government's June 2003 acceptance of all 39 recommendations of the Regional Telecommunications Inquiry (RTI) in which NFF played a key role. One of the many issues NFF highlighted was the requirement that:
"Broadband Internet access services that are available in metropolitan Australia should also be offered on an equitable basis in rural Australia using a variety of technologies. The equitable availability of these services should be reviewed on a regular basis."
Ms Cronin said the delivery of 'outcomes in the paddock' in the form of equitable, affordable and quality telecommunications services continues to be a key priority for NFF, the timely implementation of HiBIS is an example of this.
“Sustainable high bandwidth wireless technologies currently being deployed elsewhere provide another opportunity for current carriers and new service provides to reap the benefit of delivering services to a ‘service and information hungry’ rural Australia.
“The ongoing implementation of RTI and other significant initiatives by Telstra are delivering considerable improvements in telecommunications service and service levels, and are making a difference in rural and regional Australia.
Ms Cronin said NFF looks forward to the timely implementation of other Government RTI initiatives announced in June 2003 that will allow farmers and rural communities to better participate in day to day commercial and social activities.
Access to equitable telecommunications services is of strategic importance to farmers and rural communities, and is crucial to the sustainability of regional Australia, and is not without consequence to the ongoing economic development of Australia, the ongoing review of telecommunications service and services must continue to be a priority of Government, Ms Cronin said.
National Farmers' Federation Media Release, 13th April 2004.
by Brent Rebecca
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