ABC North & West SA - Federal Government's broadband plans for South Australia

ANNETTE MARNER: The Federal Government's broadband plan for South Australia has been brought under the spotlight once more, this time by Labor's Communication spokesperson, Senator Stephen Conroy.

Now in a letter to The Advertiser today Senator Conroy says the broadband plan which is due to start rolling out across the state next month is inadequate and misleading. He says he has a few bones to pick with the Federal Communications Minister Helen Coonan about her plan and what it will really provide for regional and remote residents.

Our ABC news journalist, Candice Marcus, spoke to both the Senator and the Minister earlier today. And firstly she asked Senator Conroy whether he's convinced that the broadband plan is deliberately deceptive.

STEPHEN CONROY: Absolutely. Both the speeds that are on offer are misrepresented and the coverage of the Government's plan are misrepresented. It's quite unfortunate that the Government just three months out from an election have decided it has to have a plan for broadband, and so they have produced a second rate plan which delivers a two tier service to South Australians.

CANDICE MARCUS: Well how do you see the situation from regional residents in particular? Are there potential geographical obstacles for want of a better word, that are going to interfere with this wireless transmission?

STEPHEN CONROY: Absolutely. One of the key issues, when the Government announced their plan they produced a series of maps which they distributed to their own members. They're not publicly available, and they are currently in the process of mailing them out across Australia.

Now what these maps don't show is topography. In other words they don't show hills and mountains. And the key here is that the wireless products that the Government want to give South Australians require line of sight. And if mountains get in the way there is no coverage. So the department themselves have admitted, the government's own department have put a statement on its website under something called a disclaimer which you have to click on to, which makes it clear that the maps don't take into account topography. And the Minister's own office have admitted publicly that they won't know who's going to be covered until after the network is switched on.

CANDICE MACUS: Well yes, in your letter you said that the proposed coverage for the network is based 'on fraudulent maps'. Is that what you're saying? That the maps that people are going to get hold of won't actually take into account these geographical factors? And it's not going to be clear just by looking at the maps what sort of service you're going to get in a particular region?

STEPHEN CONROY: Absolutely right. The Government are misleading South Australians quite deliberately. Their own department website, and your listeners should log on to the Department of Communications website, go to the Broadband Connect, Australia Connected website, find the pages where the maps are there, and look at the disclaimer. It clearly states, and to be fair Opal, the company that have won this, they've made the same point.

In their press release of the company, the winning of the contract, they make it clear that topography is an issue when it comes to coverage. So when the Government talk about 99 per cent or 100 per cent of people who are covered by this new network it's not true.

CANDICE MARCUS: Now have you actually had a good look at these maps? Are you concerned with any specific areas in this state that may not get the coverage that it looks like they're going to get?

STEPHEN CONROY: Well everywhere where this is a hill or a mountain. And last time I checked South Australia had a few of those. So it's quite, quite misleading of the Government to suggest that they can deliver coverage to people in South Australia, particularly if they live in areas with hills and mountains that they can deliver them this guaranteed coverage. It is quite, quite misleading.

CANDICE MARCUS: Okay. And there has been numerous debates about this fibre versus wireless broadband. It seems that both have their ups and downs. But what's your ideal solution when it comes to implementing the best available broadband plan for regional and remote areas in particular.

STEPHEN CONROY: Well Labor has made it clear that we believe what Australia needs. Not for an election. This isn't a policy we announced three weeks ago like the Government. This is a policy we have been campaigning on for two years. And what Labor has said is that we will deliver a fibre to the node network to 98 per cent of Australians. For the two per cent of Australian where we just can't get the fibre to them, we will get the latest wireless, the latest microwave and the latest satellite technology so that they get speeds as close as possible to those available to the 98 per cent.

So we're not forgetting the two per cent. Those that are out there and furthest away. We want to improve their services as well. But the key differences between the Government's proposal and Labor's proposal is that Labor's in a national network. We're going to be offering quality of service, quality of price and a quality of access to applications. So everyone gets the same go in the 98 per cent.

The Government's plan is all about putting in place a metro programme which will be fast, and a second rate system which will be this wireless network to hundreds of thousands of regional and rural South Australians. And the Government can duck and weave all they want, but the wireless technology that they're offering cannot deliver the speed that the minister keeps claiming.

CANDICE MARCUS: What sorts of problems do you foresee in the promise by Minister Coonan that the network will be switched on next month?

STEPHEN CONROY: Well I think the Minister is just trying to get some photo opportunities for the election. Labor's been campaigning on this. We've listened to Australians. We know that Australians are crying out for faster broadband. And so the Minister when she says we've got a plan and we'll turn it on next month is talking about a plan to get them through the election. It's a plan that's about photo opportunities for the election campaign. That's all it's about.

CANDICE MARCUS: Well you say that the contract is yet to be signed and the locations of the 117 transmissions towers are yet to be revealed. So do you think that it's a realistic time frame at all?

STEPHEN CONROY: Oh not at all. There's no question that the Government, they may rush one or two towers into construction, or start digging a few trenches for cables over the next couple of months. They haven't even signed the contract yet. The contract for this project is still unsigned. But look, I'm sure they'll find a couple of photo opportunities to put into the newspapers and on TV between now and the next election a few months away.

CANDICE MARCUS: And finally, what are you calling on Minister Coonan to implement in her own office to prove that this solution really is the right way forward for this state.

STEPHEN CONROY: That's right. This is a challenge that I've issued publicly all around Australia. I've issued it to her in Parliament. If the wireless system that she wants to lock hundreds of thousands of South Australians into is so good, Minister, here's the challenge. Cut off your fibre connection. Connect your home, your office and your department to the Opal wireless product that you want to foist onto all these other Australians.

CANDICE MARCUS: Senator and Labor Communications spokesman, Stephen Conroy.

The Federal Communications Minister, Helen Coonan, maintains that the broadband plan for South Australia is a reliable and efficient one using sophisticated technology. She says the plan is on target and on the money as well. On hearing Senator Conroy's personal message she said it's more of an uninformed attack than a worthwhile challenge. Minister Coonan.

HELEN COONAN: Well I already have some wireless in my Department. When I travel I use wireless and I certainly use a wireless connection also in my home. So I can vouch for the importance of WiMAX and certainly the wireless technology that is now being recommended by the OECD as the ideal application for those difficult to reach areas where Senator Conroy has absolutely no plan. That is anyone who lives 1.5 kilometres from anything that's built, like a curb or an exchange, will simply miss out completely under Labor's plan. This will ensure that 99 per cent of Australians get a fast internet service and they will have it by 2009, five years before the first available service from Labor.

CANDICE MARCUS: Why do you think Senator Conroy issued you that challenge if you're already using wireless yourself?

HELEN COONAN: Well, he wouldn't know I suppose and he makes these challenges without checking whether or not he's got any factual basis to ask the question.

CANDICE MARCUS: Okay. Are you confident that this service will be reliable 100 per cent of the time?

HELEN COONAN: Yes. I mean Senator Conroy's been running around making extraordinary claims about this technology. The only thing he hasn't accused it of doing is fading the curtains, but I'm expecting that any day now. The thing is that this is sophisticated technology. It's fourth generation wireless technology that has been developed particularly for the kind of applications that will fill in all of those black spots around Adelaide, around Port Pirie, Port Augusta, Kadina, Wallaroo, Whyalla, all around there where people haven't been able to get a broadband service and they never will get a service if they have to wait for an upgraded …mix of technology and the government's plan will ensure that 99 per cent of Australians will get very fast internet and get the Australian broadband guarantee to also get a service.

So I am confident that 100 per cent of Australians will get and deserve to have a fast internet service … start rolling out by December this year and will be completed by June 2009 …

CANDICE MARCUS: …are going to affect the quality of service for people …

HELEN COONAN: Well the information I have … technology is very … it is not the kind of wireless that people have been used too and I don't think there would be many people listening who would be … fourth generation standard. The reason we … is because …consultation with local councils and communities to ensure that you adjust the tower in such a way that you get the best coverage. So where you locate towers is a … people who previously … some black spots, haven't been able to get a service while somebody across the road might have been …

Our intention is that everyone will be covered.

CANDICE MARCUS: … advertised last week that the service … from next month. …Are you confident that this time frame is … ?

HELEN COONAN: Yes I am, and what is the point of photo opportunity? I mean if somebody is going to have … switched on so that they can 20 megabytes very fast broadband … next month, I think people … photo opportunity … they just wouldn't do it. So I'm determined that the programme will be rolled out on time, it's fully budgeted. And the most important thing, and the thing where there's such a huge gap in Senator Conroy's criticism, he said nothing about the kind of costs that his plan would charge people. I've said that people will be charged about $30-35 for the … up to about $60 for a very fast service.

So not only are we saying that he's worse, that it will delivered, it will be paid for, but that his consumers will also be able to afford it.

ANNETTE MARNER: That was Federal Communications Minister, Helen Coonan, ending that report from Candice Marcus.