Telecommunications are as important to our health and way of life as the electricity and water in our homes — so government should weigh the essential nature of mobile services and make sure the regulatory framework meets community expectations.
Rural & Remote AustraliaRural Communications
Rural Communications · The Democrats’ planEssential as water. Still waiting years for a fix.
The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman puts phone and internet alongside the electricity and water in our homes — we rely on them in emergencies, and for work, banking, telehealth and social cohesion. Yet consumers in regional, rural and remote areas made 51,854 phone and internet complaints in the three years to June 2024, and in many regional locations a fault can take several years to resolve, or sees no improvement at all. Our plan sets out six commitments, alongside the seven modernisation steps the Ombudsman asks for, to close the digital divide and make coverage resilient when a disaster hits.
51,854 Regional phone and internet complaints From consumers in regional, rural and remote areas in the three years to June 2024 — faults, poor service quality, poor mobile coverage, outages and accessibility barriers.
656m Federal funding for connectivity $656 million over five years in the 2022–23 federal budget to improve mobile and broadband connectivity — while smaller and more remote communities still struggle with service quality, reliability and affordability.
13 Measures in this plan Six commitments on rural connectivity, telehealth and affordability, plus the seven modernisation steps the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman asks for.
1 One coherent, modern rulebook One coherent, robust and modern regulatory framework, offering standards for different services.
Report the fault
Watch the same fault race through both systems.
The plan at a glance
Clear benchmarks and standards so consumers can seek compensation, and mobile coverage maps standardised and accessible to all consumers — geographical location, quality of coverage and data speeds.
Resilient coverage for bushfire, cyclone and flood country: more base towers to extend the footprint across regional Australia, and stronger subsea cables connecting Australia to other countries.
Data charges removed for low-income and income support recipients in regional, rural and remote areas, and universal unmetered online access to government, hospital and health services for people and businesses in rural and remote areas.
Better telehealth infrastructure with support for patients using the equipment, and the Medicare rebate restored for longer video consultations — part of closing the gap in life expectancy and health outcomes for rural and remote people.
The same dropped line, two outcomes
A fault reported from a small town in flood country.
Today
- Regional, rural and remote consumers left behind by the digital divide
- 51,854 phone and internet complaints in three years — faults, outages, poor coverage
- Problems that can take several years to resolve, and often no improvement at all
- First Nations communities still facing significant barriers to quality, affordable services
Our plan
- Connectivity treated as the essential service it already is
- Clear benchmarks and standards, so consumers can seek compensation
- One coherent, robust and modern framework with standards for different services
- First Nations consumers consulted on closing the digital inclusion gap
The change that matters most
Outages at their most dangerous in bushfire, cyclone and flood country
Resilient coverage and connectivity, with more base towers and stronger subsea cables
Climate disasters are becoming more frequent and severe, so it is urgent that communications infrastructure is improved and mobile coverage and internet connectivity are resilient — reliable telco access is critical to coordinating disaster response and recovery, and to sharing timely, accurate information during major outages.
The full policy
Word for word — the platform as our members wrote it.
The Issues
Telecommunication services are essential services, as important to our health and way of life as the electricity and water in our homes. We rely on phone and internet services in emergencies, for work, banking, telehealth services, social cohesion everything. We need a policy agenda that reflects the indispensable nature of telecommunications. Regional, rural, and remote consumers are getting left behind, and it’s time that serious efforts are made to address the digital divide in this country.
Telecommunication services are essential services, as important to our health and way of life as the electricity and water in our homes. We rely on phone and internet services in emergencies, for work, banking, telehealth services, social cohesion everything.
— Cynthia Gebert, Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman
According to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman, in the three years up to June 2024, 51,854 phone and internet complaints were made by consumers living in regional, rural and remote areas. Faults, poor service quality, poor mobile service coverage, outages and accessibility barriers were common. In many regional locations it can take several years to have problems resolved, and often there is no improvement at all.
This can be especially dangerous for consumers living in areas at greater risk of bushfires, cyclones, floods and other natural disasters. Reliable access to telco services plays a critical role in the coordination of disaster response and recovery, and in sharing timely and accurate information during major outages and crises.
While satellite services may resolve connectivity issues for some consumers, these services can be highly dependent on weather conditions. The TIO’s complaint data shows consumers in regional areas continue to experience unreliable connections and service quality problems. Satellite is also a more expensive service type, and may not be affordable for all consumers.
Climate disasters are becoming more frequent and severe, so it is urgent that communications infrastructure is improved so mobile phone coverage and internet connectivity is resilient.
Our Plan
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Provide good quality, affordable and reliable high-speed internet and mobile phone access to rural communities.
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Close the gap in life expectancy and health outcomes for rural and remote people.
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Improve the telehealth infrastructure and provide support for patients in using this equipment.
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Restore the Medicare rebate for longer video telehealth consultations.
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Remove data charges for low-income and income support recipients in regional, rural and remote areas.
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Create universal unmetered online access to government, hospital and health services for people and businesses in rural and remote areas.
The TIO calls for modernisation of telecommunications, requiring:
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One coherent, robust and modern regulatory framework to offer standards for different services.
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Clear benchmarks and standards so that consumers can seek compensation.
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Government to consider the essential nature of mobile services, to ensure the regulatory framework meets community expectations.
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Mobile coverage maps standardised and accessible to all consumers, including information about geographical location, quality of coverage, and data speeds.
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First Nations consumers consulted on plans to help close the digital inclusion gap, with a focus on mobile accessibility to improve connectivity in regional areas.
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Improve the subsea cable systems connecting Australia to other countries to strengthen our network, build resilience and potentially offer infrastructure capability investments in the future.
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Increase funding to support the build of more base towers to extend the footprint across regional Australia, increasing coverage.
The Evidence
The Federal Government’s 2022 23 budget included $656 million over five years to improve mobile and broadband connectivity.
The Regional Telecommunications Independent Review Committee found that while many regional centres now enjoy urban-level connectivity, smaller and more remote communities still face ongoing struggles with service quality, reliability and affordability. Awareness of NBN options is limited, existing mobile networks in many regional areas face congestion and capacity issues, terrestrial mobile networks are becoming unviable due to sparse populations and the high cost of infrastructure and maintenance, and First Nations communities continue to face significant challenges in accessing quality affordable services. Landline services are ageing and increasingly expensive to operate.
References
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Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman’s submission to the 2024 Regional Telecommunications Review, July 2024.
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2024 Regional Telecommunications Review (infrastructure.gov.au).
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Bosun: Australia Connect initiative for Indo-Pacific connectivity (Google Cloud Blog).
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Connecting the Indo-Pacific: the future of subsea cables and opportunities for Australia (Australian Strategic Policy Institute, ASPI).
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Communication tower infrastructure: explaining the Gs that are changing communications.
Make it happen.
Policies like this only become law when enough people push. Push with us.