The government aims to connect 97 percent of rural schools to high-speed broadband via fibre over the next six years as part of their Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI). The government has committed $300 million to fund rural broadband. Farmside supports the fibre plan, but also recognises that a whole generation of school children will pass through rural schools before they have the ability to gain the educational opportunities that high-speed broadband can offer.
Farmside recently submitted an Expression of Interest to the government in response to the RBI suggesting satellite delivered high-speed broadband should be considered as an option for the 3 percent of schools who will fall outside the fibre plan.
Farmside also suggests that in some instances satellite delivered high-speed broadband would be an effective bridging option for rural schools, households and enterprises while they wait for fibre to be laid to their door.
“I urge the Government, as part of the RBI, to invest in satellite as part of the high-speed broadband solution for rural schools,” says Farmside’s CEO Tony Baird.
