FEDERAL Member for New England, Barnaby Joyce has welcomed the announcement of the Coalition Government’s accelerated three-year rollout plan with the news that superfast broadband is coming to almost 39,000 homes and businesses in the Electorate.
Mr Joyce said more than 19,100 residents of Calala, East Tamworth, Hillvue, Kingswood, Moore Creek, Nemingha, North Tamworth, Oxley Vale, South Tamworth, Taminda, Tamworth West and Westdale would see the commencement of work to install fibre to the node [FTTN] from January 2017. Work will also start in the first quarter of 2017 to 1,400 homes in Quirindi.
In Glen Innes, 2,800 premises would have installation work for FTTN from the second half of 2017, 4,100 premises in Gunnedah from the first half of 2017, and 900 premises in Guyra and Guyra South from the second half of 2017.
Inverell’s installation to 4,700 premises would begin in the second half of 2017 as will 1,100 premises in Manilla, 1,700 premises in Tenterfield, 1,100 premises in Uralla and 1,500 premises in Walcha.
Fixed wireless installation would begin in the first quarter of 2017 for 440 premises in Old Bonalbo, Sandilands, East Tabulum and Urbenville.
“A project as big as this will need a lot of planning so that work will begin even sooner,” Mr Joyce said.
“Across Australia the NBN is powering ahead with the release of this comprehensive construction plan to network 9.5 million premises nationwide,” he said.
The new rollout plan, which extends out to September 2018, provides a breakdown of when the network will be starting in specific locations and the type of technology that will be used.
Mr Joyce said the release of the plan was a huge step forward for the NBN as the company works to speed up the rollout and make the build as cost-efficient as possible.
“The Coalition Government understands that Internet access is important for our community and will transform education, health care and other critical online services,” he said.
“Rollout progress under Labor was slow and costly. The NBN only managed to connect 51,000 premises to its networks across Australia during the previous term of Government.
“The Australian Financial Review editorial on Thursday 15 October said ‘Labor has no credibility in this area’ and described Labor’s plan for the NBN as ‘an expensive joke’.”
Mr Joyce said the Coalition Government recognises that consumers want fast broadband as soon as possible. All services over the NBN will allow families to stream movies, surf the web and complete schoolwork online – all at one time. Businesses will also benefit from the vastly higher bandwidth available.
He said NBN Co had already been active with the construction of Fixed Wireless towers in the Electorate including: Armidale-Grafton Road, Invergowrie, Rockvale Road, Bundarra, Inverell West, Delungra and Willow Tree.
There are 16 towers in the Tamworth Regional Council Local Government Area, including Hallsville, Kootingal, Attunga, Calala Lane, Bendemeer, Kingswood Reservoir, Tamworth Country Rd, Daruka, Nundle, Moonbi, Moore Creek South, Calala South, Byrnes Street, Manilla, Barraba and Barraba South.
Other centres in the Electorate with commissioned Fixed Wireless towers include Tenterfield, Wallangarra, Quirindi, Wallabadah, Gilgai Oval, Inverell, Inverell South, Uralla and at Martins Lookout in the Glen Innes Severn Shire.
“Around 600,000 premises already have an active connection and are enjoying the benefits of very fast broadband. NBN is working to provide fast Internet to every home and business in Australia by 2020.
On 1 October the launch of the NBN’s Sky Muster satellite from the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana opened a new front in the NBN’s key objective to ensure all Australians have access to fast broadband as soon as possible, at affordable prices and at least cost to taxpayers.
“Sky Muster is designed to enable NBN to deliver broadband services to more than 200,000 rural and remote Australians.
Residents can check their suburb at: www.nbnco.com.au/rolloutplan