Telco woes for councils and residents who haven’t received proper coverage. Image: Kevin Spencer/flickr
The federal government has announced it will investigate the emerging problem of a lack of telecommunications access in new homes.
According to the Department of Communications and the Arts, there have been a number of complaints from people about the lack of telecommunications access in their dwellings that have only recently been built.
Consequently, the Department wants to ascertain how many councils have provisions for telecommunications in their planning laws and what the current requirements may be.
The Department says that whilst most developers are doing the right thing, a small number continue to develop land without considerations for telecommunications.
‘Understanding which councils have requirements for telecommunications will help the Department in targeting its efforts to the areas where there are no requirements and therefore which are at greater risk of developers not doing the right thing,’ the Department said.
According to the Department, it is important arrangements can enable carriers to choose the most appropriate technology for the developments concerned.
‘The survey will try to identify whether councils have requirements for both pit and pipe and telecommunications network infrastructure and services and whether requirements are technology-neutral.’
Surveys can be a source of some frustration for councils, but the Department assures potential respondents that this particular questionnaire comprises just three questions and that it should take no longer than 10 minutes to complete.
Once concluded, the Department will aggregate the survey results and provide a report to the Australian Local Government Association and councils.
See the survey here.
