NBN supply is wide of the mark
A SENIOR Federal Minister has taken aim at the National Party leader Warren Truss for selling the connectedness of the National Broadband Network in Wide Bay short, despite the first roll-out reaching just 213 premises in the electorate.
Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, said Mr Truss was incorrect to say that no one in his home electorate, which takes in Noosa, had received any NBN benefit to date.
In an article in the Noosa News titled Noosa Economy Needs NBN Access, Mr Truss claimed: "the people of Wide Bay bear their share of the liability for the NBN, but no one is getting any benefits".
"Mr Truss's statement is simply not correct," Sen Conroy said.
"Today, 213 homes and businesses in the Wide Bay electorate are connected to fast, affordable, and reliable broadband through the NBN Interim Satellite Service."
And while those 213 may be grateful for this service, the number of people enrolled in Wide Bay at the 2010 election was 92,607 - that is just the people who are 18 or more and have registered to vote.
Sen Conroy said the more than 100,000 Wide Bay residents who were still not on the network could live in hope.
"Work on the NBN fixed-wireless network is also under way now and will be switched on progressively to rural parts of the country not covered by fibre by 2015," the Senator said.
Sen Conroy said this included rural parts of Wide Bay that fall outside the NBN fibre footprint.
"Mr Truss has form on this. In March, he put out a press release claiming exactly the same thing. He was wrong then and he's wrong now.
"Instead of spreading misinformation, Mr Truss should support the people in his electorate who are now accessing vastly superior broadband than was ever achieved under the Coalition."
