The content on this page and other DCITA document archive pages is provided to assist research and may contain references to activities or policies that have no current application. See the full archive disclaimer.
'Future proofing' regional telecommunications
Background
The independent Regional Telecommunications Inquiry (RTI) report provides a comprehensive assessment of telecommunications services in regional Australia, and makes recommendations on arrangements to be put in place to ensure ongoing benefits to regional, rural and remote Australia.
The need to ensure that people in regional areas continue to share equitably in the benefits of advances in technology (future proofing) was a specific term of reference of the RTI. The Government has accepted all 39 recommendations made by the Inquiry, including the recommendations relating to future proofing of regional telecommunications services, to ensure that improvements to services achieved in recent years are built on into the future.
Telstra's local presence in regional Australia
The RTI found that regional consumers value the service improvements achieved through Telstra Country Wide®, and its direct relationship with Telstra customers in regional, rural and remote Australia.
Recommendation 8.1: The RTI recommended that Telstra, as the primary universal service provider, be required to maintain an ongoing local presence in regional, rural and remote Australia into the future.
The Government will impose a licence condition on Telstra to give effect to this recommendation. Telstra will be required to prepare a local presence plan to set out the range of activities and strategies it will undertake to maintain its local presence in regional areas. These activities will be broadly compatible with Telstra's commercial interests and will benefit regional communities in a range of ways including:
- better access for customers to Telstra's services and staff;
- better coordination of service maintenance by Telstra;
- better targeting of network and service investments by Telstra; and
- a major voice for regional consumers in the Telstra boardroom and with senior management.
Telstra will be required to demonstrate to the Government and to regional communities that it is providing an effective and beneficial local presence. As with all of the Government's RTI response, the requirement on Telstra to maintain a local presence will apply regardless of any future change in the ownership of Telstra.
Future reviews of regional telecommunications services
The Government is committed to ensuring that the benefits and improvements in regional telecommunications achieved in recent years continue to be available to regional Australia into the future. As part of this commitment, the Government will guarantee in legislation that regular reviews of the adequacy of services in regional, rural and remote Australia are undertaken by the current and future governments. In particular, the reviews will consider whether important new services are being delivered equitably in those areas (RTI recommendations 9.1, 9.2, and 9.3).
The reviews will be undertaken by an independent expert panel, appointed by the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. Review reports will be tabled in Parliament, and the Government will be required to respond publicly to the findings and recommendations in the report (RTI recommendation 9.4).
The reviews will be linked to a strategic plan for regional telecommunications, to be developed by the Government in consultation with State and Territory Governments, and stakeholders from regional, rural and remote areas.
National Broadband Strategy
An important first step of future proofing is to ensure that all Australians have equitable access to affordable broadband services. The RTI noted the growing importance of equitable access to higher bandwidth services in regional, rural and remote Australia. Access to higher bandwidth services is becoming vital for the economic and social development of regional, rural and remote Australia. In response to this growing need, the Government will implement a National Broadband Strategy (NBS) to promote affordable access to broadband and to stimulate the take-up of broadband services. The NBS will have a key focus on regional, rural and remote Australia.
The NBS will see more than $140 million provided to boost broadband access and take-up in regional areas.
The NBS has four key elements:
- $107.8 million for a Higher Bandwidth Incentive Scheme to provide a financial incentive to higher bandwidth service providers to offer services in rural and remote areas at prices reasonably equitable with those available in urban areas;
- $23.7 million for a Coordinated Communications Infrastructure Fund to further boost broadband take-up using key sectors such as health and education as anchor tenants;
- $8.4 million to promote demand aggregation activities for regional communities; and
- $2.9 million for the establishment of a National Broadband Strategy Implementation Group to provide a national strategic approach across all levels of Government.
The NBS also addresses many of the recommendations of the recent report of the Broadband Advisory Group.
Further information
A separate fact sheet is also available on the National Broadband Strategy.
Copies of the RTI report are available online at www.telinquiry.gov.au/rti-report.html, or by calling 1800 883 488.
Further information on the Government's response to the RTI report is available online at www.dcita.gov.au/rtiresponse.