The Federal Government has launched a Project Noticeboard which will allow communities to inform potential projects to be funded through round the 3 of the Mobile Network Hardening Program (MNHP).
The MNHP aims to reduce the risks of service outages and improve restoration times of mobile telecommunications in communities impacted by natural disasters by co-funding projects with carriers and telco companies that aim to deliver resilience upgrades. This can include portable generators, power back-up upgrades and physical mobile tower hardening.
Under Round 3, the government is providing $20 million for projects located in areas impacted by, or at risk of, a natural disaster in regional and remote Australia and – for the first time – in the peri-urban fringe of 19 capital and major regional cities.
The peri-urban fringe is where the bush meets the edges of the suburbs, creating risks of natural disasters for those living and working in those areas. The expansion of Round 3 to include peri-urban areas ensures they will also have access to resilient mobile communications services during and after natural disasters.
The newly launched Project Noticeboard allows local councillors and state, territory and federal parliamentarians to identify potential projects or locations suitable for funding under Round 3, with telco industry applicants encouraged to review these submissions when preparing their applications.
In total, the government is investing $2.2 billion in regional communications – the most significant investment in this critical area since the inception of the National Broadband Network.
Rounds 1 and 2 of the MNHP are funding approximately 1,386 projects nationwide, with 896 already complete.
Federal Minister for Communications, Michelle Rowland, said that access to reliable communications can be a matter of life and death during times of disaster, which is why the government is continuing to invest strongly in communications network resilience through the Mobile Network Hardening Program.
“Ahead of the next round of applications opening, we want to hear from representatives of local communities in areas at risk of natural disaster to inform how best to target this funding,” Minister Rowland said.
“Importantly, the program has now expanded to include peri-urban locations, as we know that communities on the urban fringes of our major cities face particular risks when it comes to natural disasters.
“I encourage locals to speak with their councillors and federal, state or territory representatives to identify potential projects or locations that would benefit from improved communications resilience, and make their voice heard.”
The Project Noticeboard can be viewed here.
More information on the Mobile Network Hardening Program can be found here.
