158/07
Wednesday 3 October 2007

Broadband Guaranteed for all Australians

The Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, Senator the Hon Helen Coonan today announced eight further broadband providers had been approved under the $163 million Australian Broadband Guarantee.

“The Australia Broadband Guarantee is a safety net for Australians who cannot receive an affordable metro-comparable broadband service,” Senator Coonan said.

“A subsidy of up to $2750 is available under the Australian Broadband Guarantee for each premises that cannot currently access a metro-comparable broadband service.

“There are now 14 applicants for registration under the Australian Broadband Guarantee that have been approved to participate in the program. These providers are committed to offering affordable broadband to households, small businesses and Indigenous Community Councils right around the country,” Senator Coonan said.

Seven applicants have finalised the registration process and have entered into funding agreements with the Government. Currently registered providers are Australian Private Networks, Elders, HarbourIT, Internode, Westnet, Westvic Broadband and Wideband Networks.

Senator Coonan said a further seven applicants have been approved to join the program.

“In order to be registered and to be able to offer subsidised services, these applicants need to execute their funding deeds with the Government. These applicants are Amcom, Broadband Wireless, McPherson Media, Ocean Broadband, Optus, Skymesh, and Telstra. Unless and until the funding deed has been duly executed by the provider, the providers will not be able to participate in the program.

“Those applicants that have already been invited to finalise their registration under the program and have been offered a funding deed, have until Wednesday, 10 October 2007 to return to the Department executed copies of the funding deed.

“The remaining applicants will shortly be invited to finalise their registration under the program and will be sent a funding agreement for execution. These providers will be given one week from the date of offer to execute and return the funding agreement to the Department,” Senator Coonan said.

The Department will be writing to all impacted applicants separately to advise them of the deadline that will apply to their offer of registration. If an applicant does not execute and return the funding deeds to the Department within the notified deadline, the offer of registration for the program will lapse.

Senator Coonan said after the second registration round which closed on 2 October 2007, the Government does not intend to offer any future registration rounds under the Australian Broadband Guarantee.

“Applicants should therefore ensure they take the necessary steps before the notified deadlines if they wish to participate in the program.

“The Australian Government’s Australia Connected initiative provides a seamless plan that guarantees an affordable broadband service for 100 per cent of Australians regardless of where they live.

“This is in stark contrast to the Labor Party who will leave around 25 per cent of the Australian population stranded under its poorly costed and light on detail proposal. Labor’s fibre-to-the-node proposal is a fantasy for millions of rural and regional Australians that live more than 1.5 kilometres from a node.

“This proves the point that Labor will turn regional and rural Australia into a telecommunications backwater with no targeted government assistance for future telecommunications upgrades .

“The Australian Government has protected the $2 billion principal of the Communications Fund so that only the interest earned from the fund’s investments - up to $400 million every three years - can be spent. This legislation ensures that the Communications Fund, which the Labor Party has committed to drain, will continue to support areas that need ongoing targeted government assistance – that is rural and regional areas where commercial solutions are not always viable,” Senator Coonan said.

Consumers interested in accessing the Australian Broadband guarantee should contact BroadbandNow, available from www.broadbandnow.gov.au or on 1800 883 488 Monday to Friday 8am-9pm EST. BroadbandNow is a one – stop consumer help centre which provides telephone and web information to help consumers understand the technology options available to them and provides information about how to get connected.

Media Contact: Frank Peppard 0417 061 969