MEMBER for Mallee Anne Webster has joined a campaign to make telecommunication companies accountable for continued poor service in regional areas.
Dr Webster, with 16 colleagues, will support a private member’s Bill being led by Member for Berowra Julian Leeser following “years of inaction by telcos to fix fundamental issues across Australia”.
The Bill would create a universal mobile service obligation, specifically designed to hold telcos to account to be more responsible in the provision and maintenance of service to disaster-prone areas.
“It mandates battery back-up times on phone towers and requires telcos to not turn off existing 3G coverage in an area until alternative 4G or 5G is available,” Dr Webster said.
“If a coroner finds that a natural disaster death could have been prevented if a telco acted differently, the company and its executives would be slapped with financial penalties.”
Dr Webster said one of the most frequent complaints she heard from constituents was “appalling” phone and internet coverage.
“Fred, a stone fruit grower from Woorinen, has put up with weak, slow, unreliable and sometimes non-existent mobile coverage for years,” she said.
“As a small business owner, Fred has had to spend enormous sums of money to attempt to resolve these issues.
“Sadly, much of this investment has resulted in little improvement.
“Living in between two major phone towers, he often has to leave his own property to be able to conduct a virtual meeting with his overseas clients.
“At times he’s had to stand on a chair or climb on a roof to be able to get any signal.”
Dr Webster said the COVID-19 pandemic had exacerbated the issue.
“Home-schooling students are enduring disrupted learning in their virtual classrooms because their internet drops out,” she said.
“Teachers struggle to conduct online classes because they can’t get reliable reception at home.”
Dr Webster said new legislation sought to “right these wrongs”.
“This reform will hold telecommunications companies accountable for their poor coverage.
“Telco execs will personally be liable for poor customer service and failure to meet the needs of customers.”
