Consultation on the Peri-Urban Mobile Program – Grant opportunity guidelines

Details

ACCAN responded to the Federal Government’s consultation on the grant guidelines for the Peri-Urban Mobile Program. The program is designed to deliver funding to improve mobile connectivity in bushfire prone areas on the peri-urban fringe of major cities.

ACCAN supports the initiative but recommends the following changes be made to the grant guidelines:

  • To encourage transparency and accountability, any third party in-kind co-contributions must be reflected in the amount of funding the applicant seeks.

  • Applicants that build the infrastructure should provide evidence of intent from two Mobile Network Operators to enter into an agreement to use the infrastructure, to ensure that there is competition from mobile networks.

  • That the requirement for a location to be identified as a priority by a Member of Parliament be removed.

  • The importance of mobile network competition on the infrastructure built should be elevated and included in the criterion.

  • Infrastructure should be built with longer lasting back up power, emergency power solutions, expanded protection zones, redundant backhaul and any other hardening measures.

Download:  docxACCAN submission to PUMP guidelines84.23 KB
Download:  pdfACCAN submission to PUMP guidelines166.45 KB