Connect Australia will fund large scale projects

Stuart Corner
Monday, 15 May 2006 09:28

IT Policy - Regulation

See also: Austar, Unwired & Soul team for regional broadband net

Communications minister, Helen Coonan, has confirmed speculation that funding for regional communications projects under the Connect Australia programme will be made available only to large scale projects. Addressing the ATUG Regional Communications Conference in Canberra, Coonan said: "I believe that the best possible use of Broadband Connect is to set aside the majority of the funding to stimulate investment in large scale infrastructure. This will see sustainable, open and scalable broadband infrastructure beyond the major metropolitan areas into regional centres, and across rural Australia."

She added: "The $1.1 billion Connect Australia package and the $2 billion Communications Fund provide us with the opportunity to encourage the significant rollout of next generation telecommunications infrastructure across this vast country...Connect Australia should be seen as more than just a fund for rural Australia, it should be seen as a lever for larger-scale infrastructure roll out in our metropolitan and regional centres. Therefore, it is critical that the Connect Australia funding is viewed as but one element of a national communications infrastructure strategy.... the $1.1 billion Connect Australia funding is a true nation-building investment and will be critical to the future of regional and rural Australia."

The government will shortly call fro expressions of interest for Broadband Connect. "We will be seeking to encourage projects of major scale that would address existing coverage gaps in a sustainable way and help connect this country," Coonan said. She added that "To achieve the necessary scale may require a collaborative, partnership or consortium-based approach".

One such partnership was announced last week, between Austar, Unwired and Soul.