The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) has released the 2nd Edition of its Community Consultation Guide in time for Round 2 of the Federal Government's Mobile Black Spot Programme (MBSP).
Mobile coverage is a key issue for consumers, particularly those who live in regional, rural, and remote areas. Improving mobile coverage is also one of ACCAN's key work priorities.
"ACCAN saw a need for a practical self-help toolkit for people to improve mobile coverage in their communities – so we developed the Community Consultation Guide," said ACCAN CEO Teresa Corbin.
The 2nd Edition of the guide has been informed by the experiences of telcos and communities during Round 1, and also contains some useful case studies of how consumers and local councils worked with telcos to fix mobile black spots in their communities.
"In Glen Innes NSW the local community teamed up with Vodafone and an international wind power company to attach mobile antennas to its 90 metre tall wind turbines. The height meant they could cover a much wider area than normal antennas and they had a ready source of power on hand," said Ms Corbin.
The 2nd Edition of the Community Consultation Guide helps communities to understand what telecommunications network providers and other organisations look for when weighing up where to invest. It sets out steps to identify poor coverage, how to measure the extent of the problem, and how to contact organisations who may be potential co-investors.
"Hopefully it goes even further in assisting rural, regional, and remote Australians to develop some really strong business cases for co-investment during Round 2," added Ms Corbin.
The competitive selection process for Round 2 of the MBSP has now commenced, meaning that telecommunications providers can bid for a share of $60m of government funding to improve mobile coverage in identified black spots. Applications are due by 14 June 2016, and the locations that receive funding should be announced in the second half of the year.
The Community Consultation Guide 2nd Edition was developed in consultation with industry specialists, community groups, Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone. It can be downloaded on the ACCAN website here.
Media contact: Xavier O'Halloran on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 0409 966 931. For the latest updates, follow ACCAN on Twitter or like us on Facebook.
Additional information on black spots
10,692 mobile coverage black spots have been identified across 93 electorates and all states and territories of Australia. More information and data on the locations of identified black spots can be found on the Department of Communications and the Arts' website here.
|
State / Territory |
No. of Identified Black Spots |
|
External Territory |
3 |
|
ACT |
10 |
|
Tas |
421 |
|
NT |
470 |
|
SA |
836 |
|
WA |
1283 |
|
Qld |
1790 |
|
Vic |
2460 |
|
NSW |
3419 |
|
Remoteness Area |
No. of identified black spots |
|
Major Cities of Australia |
264 |
|
Inner Regional Australia |
3751 |
|
Outer Regional Australia |
4437 |
|
Remote Australia |
1143 |
|
Very Remote Australia |
1096 |
|
N/A* |
1 |
*Norfolk Island
