BROADBAND BLACKSPOTS

In reply to Mr HAMILTON-SMITH (Waite) (13 October 2010).

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Employment, Training and Further Education, Minister for Science and Information Economy, Minister for Road Safety, Minister for Veterans' Affairs): The most common form of broadband access in Australia today is the service known as Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line or ADSL which is delivered via the common telephone line. An estimated 10 per cent of residential, commercial and industrial properties in metropolitan Adelaide are unable to access this type of service. The telephone lines connecting these premises to the local telephone exchange do not provide a unique continuous copper cable, a necessary condition for the delivery of ADSL broadband.

The premises experiencing this problem are scattered throughout the metropolitan area in more than 350 separate blackspots, each consisting of multiple premises. The blackspots vary in size from over 1,000 premises down to 100 premises.

In general, the more recently developed suburban areas have a disproportionately larger number of affected premises. Hence the problem is most evident in the southern and northern areas.

At the time that the Government of South Australia sought a solution through the release of a Request for Proposals from the telecommunications industry, the count of blackspot premises by local government area showed that almost 80 per cent were located in six areas:

The Adelaide Metropolitan Broadband Blackspots project which DFEEST has funded in partnership with Adam Internet will resolve over 90 per cent of the blackspots in the above areas.