Joint Release with John Cobb MP - Member for Calare: Spotlight on Calare’s mobile blackspots

Federal Member for Calare, John Cobb, will welcome to Calare today Paul Fletcher MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Communications, who is responsible for rolling out the Government’s $100 million Mobile Coverage Programme.

The Mobile Coverage Programme is an Australian Government initiative to extend mobile phone coverage and competition in regional Australia – the first such activity since the Coalition was last in Government.

“The Coalition made an election commitment to invest $100 million to improve mobile phone coverage in outer metropolitan, regional and remote communities around Australia,” said Mr Cobb.

“Lives can literally depend on accessing mobile phone networks in emergencies, so expanding mobile phone coverage has clear benefits to public safety – as well as to the business capacity of regional communities.”

Mr Cobb said he invited Mr Fletcher to the electorate to ensure he heard from local government, communications stakeholders and the general public.

“We’ll be travelling around the electorate to discuss mobile phone blackspots and coverage issues and the government’s funding programme,” he said.

The Mobile Coverage Programme has two elements:

• the $80 million Mobile Network Expansion Project will improve mobile coverage along major transport routes, in small communities and in areas that are prone to experiencing natural disasters; and
• the $20 million Mobile Black Spot Project will improve mobile coverage in locations with unique coverage problems such as areas with high demand for services.

The Department of Communications continues to accept nominations of locations to be included in a database of areas reported to have poor or no mobile coverage. Locations can be emailed to [email protected].