Regional Communications Minister and deputy Nationals leader Fiona Nash has detailed ongoing spending on the Mobile Phone Black Spots Program.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Daily Liberal reported there had been a cut to the Mobile Phone Black Spots Program in the federal Budget for 2017/18.
But Senator Nash said no funding has been cut from the program.
“The program is already building 765 towers, delivering new or improved coverage to 32,000 homes and businesses across 68,000 square kilometres – with more towers to come,” Senator Nash said.
“This includes 183 new and improved towers in rural and regional NSW.
“There is $155.9 million in the current budget for the Coalition’s Mobile Phone Black Spots Program.”
She said the government wouldn’t fund future rounds of the program until the telecommunications companies had finished constructing the towers funded under rounds one, two and three.
The black spots to be addressed under round three are yet to be announced.
“We’re building so many towers the telecommunications companies tell us all their resources are taken up building the new towers we’re funding for the next couple of years at least,” Senator Nash said.
“We’ve got to finish the first three round before we can fund more – and rural stakeholder groups have been very reasonable and understanding about that, including the Regional, Rural and Remote Communications Coalition.
“Labor didn’t build a single tower in six years of government, nor attempted to build one.
“Labor has no policy to build mobile towers for regional Australia if they are elected in future.”