Member for New England Barnaby Joyce is encouraging residents to nominate mobile phone black spot locations in their area to help inform the rollout of the next round of the $220 million Mobile Black Spot Program (MBSP).
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Minister for Regional Services, Senator Bridget McKenzie, has invited federal and state members of Parliament and local councils to make submissions on behalf of their constituents to the national mobile black spot database.
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Mr Joyce said the database is open for four weeks and called for all residents to contact his office to nominate mobile black spot areas of concern.
“We have 37 new and upgraded mobile base stations already being rolled out in the New England but we can always do more and I strongly encourage residents across the electorate to contact my office as soon as possible to nominate further coverage shortfalls in our communities,” he said.
“This presents a real opportunity for people across the electorate, from Deepwater to Danglemah, no matter where they live, to have their say on problem mobile black spots and spur on mobile operators to invest in our area through the program.
“The nominations will support round 4 of the program which will look to provide new or improved mobile coverage in areas where there are clear economic and social benefits.
“Round 4 will also look to target medical, educational and emergency services facilities, as well as along key transport routes and in towns that experience seasonal demand due to tourism.”
The Coalition will invest $25 million to deliver round 4 of the program and will soon call for applications from carriers to be selected through a competitive process. The Coalition is also calling for nominations from state and territory governments.
Residents submitting new black spots are requested to provide contact information, which will not be publically available, and the exact location details of the black spot including the latitude and longitude if known.
Locations currently in the database can be viewed online at nationalmap.gov.au (by selecting the Mobile Black Spot Database dataset within the Communications tab on the left hand navigation menu). For more information on the MBSP visit: www.communications.gov.au/mbsp.