Member for Barker Tony Pasin has welcomed the opening of Round 5 of the Morrison Government’s highly successful Mobile Black Spot Program geared to expand mobile coverage to more communities in rural and regional areas.
The Guidelines for Round 5 of the Program have been released and the applications are now open for the competitive assessment process from mobile network operators and infrastructure providers.
Round 5 will be delivered as part of the Morrison Government’s $160 million commitment to two new rounds of the Program, lifting our Government’s total funding to $380 million.
“I’ve been fighting for additional funding for the Mobile Blackspot Program past the initial 4 rounds, so I was thrilled when the budget included an additional $160 million for a further two rounds,” Mr Pasin said.
“A further $160 million means more locations receiving improved coverage, including in Barker. This commitment is proof that we are listening to regional Australians, and responding to their communications needs,” said Mr Pasin.
“So far, our Program is funding the delivering of 1047 new base stations and generating over $760 million of new investment in mobile infrastructure. While there is no quick fix for every black spot in the country, the Morrison team is getting on with addressing the issue, one round at a time.”
“In contrast, the previous Labor Government invested $0 to improving mobile coverage in rural and regional Australia,” Mr Pasin said.
Like previous rounds of the Program, Round 5 will encourage the mobile industry and state and local governments to work together to address mobile black spots across regional and remote Australia.
“I urge interested communities to contact the mobile network operators and state and local government authorities to make their coverage issues known,” Mr Pasin said.
Mobile network operators and infrastructure providers have until 26 July 2019 to submit their applications.
Applications will be assessed through a competitive process conducted by the Department of Communications and the Arts. For more information, visit: www.communications.gov.au/mbsp
Media Contact: Charlotte Edmunds 8531 2466
