COMMUNICATIONS Minister Malcolm Turnbull has been officially asked to consider Warrnambool as a pilot site for the Coalition government’s broadband network rollout.
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A submission from the city council has been sent to the minister’s office as well as NBN Co executive chairman Ziggy Switkowski and Wannon MP Dan Tehan.
The proposal was first suggested verbally to Mr Turnbull when he visited Warrnambool last year in the lead-up to the federal elections.
It argues that since Warrnambool now has the most modern Telstra regional telecommunications exchange in Australia, courtesy of a $10 million rebuild following a devastating fire, it is an ideal candidate.
However, Mr Tehan cautioned that a pilot site could be selected elsewhere where there was minimal infrastructure.
“Having an upgraded Telstra exchange could work against Warrnambool because we would seek areas where broadband areas are at their worst,” he said.
“We are reviewing the whole NBN and until that review is finalised we won’t be able to look at a pilot site.”
Mayor Michael Neoh told The Standard yesterday it would be a demonstration of goodwill after the Telstra fire to bring Warrnambool into the government’s new internet age first.
“Surely it would be more cost-efficient for the government to demonstrate its new style of NBN in Warrnambool,” he said.
Under the previous schedule for NBN rollout of fibre-optic cables, south-west Victoria would not be included until at least 2018.
“Not only does this mean the most modern exchange in Australia will go underutilised, significant national industries will be placed at a further competitive disadvantage,” the submission says.
“Using Warrnambool as a pilot site would bring quality, high-speed telecommunications to the region up to 10 years earlier than currently proposed. If successful, partnership models could be replicated elsewhere.”
Mr Tehan said the government’s initial review of NBN Co revealed a black hole of at least $11 billion.
“What we are discovering is extremely worrying,” he said.
“It seems what was promised as connection rates is proving far from accurate.”
Labor’s vision to connect every household premises and business to a fibre-optic network has been abandoned and will most likely be replaced by linking the existing Telstra copper network to new fibre cables.
