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Nbn Rolls Into Cowes

Residents of Cowes, Silverleaves and Wimbledon Heights will enjoy high speed broadband within three years, as part of the NBN rollout.

By Bass Coast - 30th March 2012 - Back to News

Bass Coast Shire Council’s Chief Executive Officer, Allan Bawden, said it was very good news that some parts of Bass Coast were included in the three year plan.

"Council has lobbied very hard to have Bass Coast included in the initial roll out. Having access to high speed broadband is a vital part of building a strong and sustainable economic base for our Shire. When we worked with the community to put together the Bass Coast Vision 2030, it was very clear that the community saw access to technology as intrinsic to growth," said Mr Bawden.

"This is a great opportunity for the residents and businesses in Cowes and surrounds. It means they can start to plan with some certainty and it a good start to fulfilling our goal of attracting global knowledge workers. It is good news for business as it extends scope of how they can develop their services. It is also good news for residents wanting to access the broader range of services that the NBN will offer."

Mr Bawden said while Council would continue to lobby for other parts of the Shire to be included in future roll outs, there were other NBN benefits on offer.

"The government is obliged by law to install the fibre optic component in all new developments over 100 lots, which is already happening here in Bass Coast. There is another announcement due next week about the roll out of the wireless network," continued Mr Bawden.

"We don’t know if Bass Coast will be included in this, but we have been told the entire wireless roll out will be completed by 2015. This is good news for properties that will be part of the wireless rollout, as they won’t have to wait for fibre. Our geography means we will have a number of properties and business being serviced by a wireless connection."

Mr Bawden said Council had identified high speed broadband as a priority and key infrastructure to develop the Shire.

"We will continue to take a proactive role lobbying for NBN services for our community. The visit earlier this year by the NBN Co Truck highlighted the huge amount of interest from our community and how keen they are for information," said Mr Bawden.

"There is a readiness to embrace new technologies and we will work hard to make sure Bass Coast sees the benefit of this new initiative as quickly as possible."

Source: www.gippsland.com

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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