THE future of the National Broadband Network is shaping up as one of the key issues in the battle for Gilmore.
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Deputy Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who has made two visits to the electorate in as many days, has warned of a “digital divide” if the Coalition is elected on September 7.
“Here in Nowra there are 9000 homes and businesses being rolled out for the National Broadband Network as we speak. There’s another 15,000 where work is due to commence in the next 12 months,” Mr Albanese said in Nowra on Sunday.
“If the Coalition is elected on September 7 that work will stop. We will see a digital divide here in Nowra whereby in 9000 homes people have access to high speed broadband and 15,000 homes and businesses miss out.
“What we need is a national broadband network rolled out to every home and every business, and rolled out in a way where the price is the same whether you live in a regional community like Nowra or whether you live in a capital city.”
Work has begun on connecting Nowra to the NBN, with work on connecting Bomaderry, North Nowra, Bangalee, Cambewarra and Tapitallee scheduled to begin within 12 months.
Nowra will see NBN connected to the premises as part of an existing contract, however those areas north of the river will see the NBN only connected to the node if the Coalition wins government. The system will then be connected to the premises via the old copper network.
“It is like building a four-lane bridge that then goes into a one-lane road. What you have is congestion on the network and back up. It doesn’t work. What you need is high speed broadband to the home. Copper is last century’s technology. It’s unreliable, it’s slow,” Mr Albanese said.
Mr Albanese was back in Gilmore on Tuesday, switching on another swathe of Kiama that has been connected to the NBN.
Liberal candidate Ann Sudmalis stopped short of guaranteeing there would not be a two-tier broadband service north and south of the Shoalhaven River.
“If contracts have already been signed then there is a mutual obligation to fulfil those contracts,” she said, but could not say whether the NBN rollout had been contracted for suburbs north of the river.
“If we win government, the whole situation is to be re-examined and relooked at, as is the perfect action of a responsible government,” she said.
The Coalition is returning fire on Friday, with communications spokesman Malcolm Turnbull appearing at a broadband forum at Bomaderry Bowling Club at midday, which will be open to the public.