COOCHIEMUDLO Island is likely to only get NBN in 2020 – two years later than expected.
Bowman MP Andrew Laming said there had been a delay because of incorrect information from Telstra.
“The problem has arisen because the advice from Telstra was that there was an existing conduit to run the fibre from Victoria Point to the island,” Mr Laming said.
“This has proved to be incorrect and as a result Coochie will now be included in the single application that was going ahead for conduits and cables from the mainland to all the bay islands.”
In July last year, Mr Laming said Coochie, Victoria Point, Sheldon and southern Thornlands would get NBN this year.
Mr Laming said at the time that rescheduling meant the high-speed fibre to the node roll-out would be six months sooner than originally planned.
NBN Co Queensland local manager Ryan Williams said his company was working to connect the Moreton Bay islands as soon as they could but the build was a complex one.
“...On some occasions issues arise that can’t be foreseen until construction commences,” Mr Williams said.
“The NBN roll-out is an unprecedented undertaking in terms of its size and scale.
“We are currently rolling out to tens of thousands of homes across Australia every week.”
Mr Williams said the dates on the roll-out map were indicative only.
”Premises on Coochiemudlo Island will be notified when they are able to order a service over the NBN network.”
According to NBN Co’s roll-out schedule, Victoria Point is due to get NBN in November.
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Mr Laming said he and Cr Williams had raised concerns about the NBN roll-out with Communications Minister Senator Mitch Fifield in Canberra this week.
“We need to find a streamlined way to get the three levels of government approval required – state marine, followed by Canberra under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act and then a final decision by council,” Mr Laming said.
“This could take up to a year but my goal is to accelerate this process for all the bay islands.”
Cr Williams said she had learnt of the potential delay last night and her office had met with Mr Fifield’s office on Thursday to see what support council could provide.
“While NBN delivery is not in council’s control, we will play a role in approving some of the telecommunications infrastructure required to deliver it,” Cr Williams said.
“We have told the minister’s office that we will do everything in our power to assist so our residents get access to the best connectivity as soon as possible.”
A Telstra spokesperson said NBN Co was responsible for the roll-out of the NBN, including infrastructure investment and the design and construction of its network.
“We will work with NBN Co to see if there is anything we can do to help facilitate the roll-out of the NBN to Coochiemudlo Island.”
