Telstra signs agreement with Government to switch on ADSL broadband at Seven Wide Bay exchanges
12th October, 2007
Federal Member for Wide Bay Warren Truss announced today that seven small local telephone exchanges will switch on ADSL broadband for the first time following the signing of a funding deed under the Australian Broadband Guarantee.Mr Truss said Telstra exchanges at Bells Bridge, Boonooroo, Gunalda, Proston, Tuchekoi, Upper Widgee and Wolvi will switch on to ADSL broadband.
“As a direct result of funding provided by the Coalition Government, households and small businesses in all seven regional communities will gain access to ADSL broadband,” Mr Truss said.
“I welcome Telstra’s participation in the Australian Broadband Guarantee, along with the other 13 applicants who have been approved to supply broadband across the country under the program,” Mr Truss said.
“The Coalition Government knows how important access to fast and affordable broadband is for regional communities.”
“The Australia Broadband Guarantee provides a safety net for all Australians who cannot receive an affordable metro-comparable broadband service. Since 2004, more than one and a half million Australians have gained access to affordable broadband for the first time as a result of per customer subsidies from the Coalition Government,” he said.
Access to fast affordable broadband will shortly take another leap forward with the roll-out of the OPEL Network, a joint venture between Optus and rural group Elders. OPEL will build a new competitive state-of-the-art broadband network that will extend high speed broadband services out to 99 per cent of Australian premises and provide peak speeds of 12 megabits per second by mid 2009.
Mr Truss said the Australian Government’s Australia Connected initiative is 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 broadband proposal. Labor’s fibre-to-the-node proposal is a fantasy for millions of rural and regional Australians who live more than 1.5 kilometres from a node.”
ENDS
