Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Coalition MPs lobby for National Broadband

Liberal MPs are anxiously lobbying the government to have the National Broadband Network (NBN) rolled out in their electorates, despite Abbott's pledge to demolish the network if elected.

South Australian federal Liberal MP Rowan Ramsey and his West Australian colleague, Steve Irons, have both tabled questions with the government asking why their constituents are missing out on access to the NBN.

Mr Ramsey is the member for Grey, a rural South Australian electorate that includes the towns of Coober Pedy, Port Augusta and Whyalla.

He wrote to the government in July asking why the town of Streaky Bay, in his electorate, was slated to miss out on a fibre or wireless connection despite having a population in excess of 1000 people.

The NBN Co. has set a population of about 1000 people as the minimum number required for a town to receive the NBN's fibre broadband link, rather than a slower satellite connection.

Mr Ramsey also protested about the exclusion of the towns of Wudinna and Cummins, writing: “Why are the towns of Wudinna and Cummins, being significant centres and both adjacent to optic fibre cables, not designated to receive a fibre broadband service”?

Mr Irons wrote to ask why the rollout of the NBN in the Perth suburb of Victoria Park, in his electorate of Swan, had been delayed.

Victoria Park was named as one of the locations that would receive the NBN in the so-called second round of rollouts across the country.

Liberal MP Teresa Gambaro took the government to task last week over her electorate of Brisbane missing out on being an early rollout site for the NBN.

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said more and more MPs were breaking ranks with Abbott's plan to demolish the NBN.

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