25 February 2005
Wagga Wagga and Riverina speed ahead with ADSL broadband
During a visit to Wagga Wagga today the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, Senator Helen Coonan, announced that 14 more communities in the region would receive ADSL broadband.
"I am pleased to announce that ADSL broadband will be available from today in Jerilderie and Coleambally and a further 12 exchanges have been approved for upgrade over coming weeks and months," Senator Coonan said.
These other exchanges and their expected time of upgrade are Coolamon and Hillston (March 18), Tarcutta (March 21), Ardlethan (March 31), Oaklands (March 21), Walla Walla (March 28) and Yenda (April 10).
Goolgowi, Adelong, Ganmain, Yanco and Hanwood will also be connected in the coming months.
The HiBIS Scheme provides an incentive for telecommunications companies to rollout broadband services to rural and regional Australians.
Since April 2004, 260 exchanges have been upgraded for ADSL, and a further 260 approved for upgrade.
Other local exchanges that have been upgraded under the scheme include Henty, Lockhart, Batlow, Culcairn, Holbrook, Gundagai and The Rock.
"The Government is committed to ensuring all Australians, regardless of where they live, have access to high quality, affordable telecommunications services," Senator Coonan said.
"We have already invested more than $1 billion into ensuring services, such as broadband technology and mobile phone coverage, are upgraded and improved - particularly for people living in rural, regional and remote Australia.
"Faster internet services are being made available in the Riverina-Murray Region thanks to this investment, Telstra and the Government's Higher Bandwidth Incentive Scheme (HiBIS)."
The $107.8 million HiBIS offers financial incentives for service providers to supply high-speed broadband services in regional areas at prices comparable to those in metropolitan areas.
There are now more than 25 HiBIS providers, many of them in rural and regional areas, and tens of thousands of regional Australians are now enjoying more affordable and accessible broadband.
"Access to broadband services is critical to the ongoing productivity and survival of our businesses," Senator Coonan said.
"I am pleased that the many residents living in the Riverina-Murray Region will now be able to access faster and more reliable internet services."
More information on the Government's HiBIS program is available at www.telinfo.gov.au.