14 Dec 2016
The age of data and innovation is already here and our regional agricultural businesses are already on the back foot. The current level of mobile and internet service available to farm businesses in regional Queensland is stifling our sector’s ability to properly benefit from positive innovations available to other sectors.
The fact that in some instances you do not have to travel very far from major metropolitan centres to experience the ‘tyranny of distance’, where you are unable to take calls, check emails, or if you do have service wait 20 minutes to download an email attachment, speaks volumes for the current state of affairs.
The writing of this column coincides with the ongoing ACCC review into whether or not to declare a wholesale domestic mobile roaming services and the recent Productivity Commission’s (PC) draft report into the Universal Service Obligation (USO). While there are differing opinions as to what the outcomes of these investigations should be, there is universal acceptance that the status quo cannot remain.
The whole mindset around the value of providing telecommunications services to farm businesses needs to change. Yes, Australia is a big place. But in the information age, the fact that mere connectivity remains a very real issue for regional businesses is beyond disappointing. Many businesses in the agriculture sector are multi-million dollar enterprises; they are run by natural innovators; and they have extremely bright futures. The question begs, would the same level of service be tolerated for a large collection of similar businesses in the city?
As the discussions and campaigns around the importance of regional telecommunications continues, it is essential the mindset focus on delivering services that are reliable, affordable and have the capacity to deliver upon promised capacities. If Queensland agriculture is to realise its envious potential, it will need the support of a modern and reliable telecommunications network.
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