Mobile black spots sites welcome but too few

Posted March 22, 2019

Plans to build a mobile phone black spot base station along one of the most dangerous roads in the Hills, and another on Kangaroo Island, is great news for Mayo but the tally falls far short of the need in the electorate, local MP Rebekha Sharkie said today.

“Long Valley Road between Wistow and Strathalbyn is now a high traffic route and sadly, due to recent fatalities, one of the most dangerous roads in our region so I was pleased to learn that the Federal Government had allocated funds from Round 4 of the Mobile Black Spot Program to address the poor to non-existent mobile phone reception in this area,” said Rebekha.

“The eastern side of Kangaroo Island is also a well-known mobile black spot and given that the Island is on track to receive 300,000 visitors a year, a new base station in that area is a prudent public safety measure for locals and tourists.

"This is the first round of the program announced since I was first elected, and while these sites are welcomes we are still left with too many black spots across Mayo.

"I call on both the major parties to commit to yearly rounds and not just announcements near elections."

SA was allocated 29 base stations under Round 4 of the program, with the Government contributing $5.5 million in funding and the SA Government contributing $5.3 million.

Across the nation 180 new base stations will be delivered in Round 4 with $25 million in Federal funding and co-contributions from state governments and the mobile carriers worth $58 million.

It takes the tally for all four rounds to more than 1000 mobile base stations across Australia with a combined investment of more than $760 million.

In the previous three rounds, with $220 million in Federal investment, Mayo was granted black spots sites in Montacute, Stokes Bay, Gosse, Parawa and Ashbourne.