25 Oct 2017
Earlier this week the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) released its final decision on domestic mobile roaming. Consistent with its draft decision in May, the ACCC decided not to declare roaming in regional Australia – the right one for farmers in regional and rural Queensland.
The inquiry found that declaration would likely not lead to lower prices or better coverage or quality of services for regional Australians.
The Queensland Farmers’ Federation (QFF) has supported this position throughout the ACCC’s inquiry. In regional and rural areas of Queensland, competition is generally secondary to coverage due to the current level of telecommunications services across the state.
Coverage cannot be extended without investment. A declaration of roaming would have eliminated the differences in coverage between operators. These differences are a significant factor in driving competition between mobile network operators and providing the incentive for them to invest in network expansion.
Digital agriculture – collecting, transferring and analyzing huge amounts of data – promises significant productivity gains for our sector. However, without adequate connection infrastructure in place, it will not be possible for many Queensland farmers to capitalise on ‘precision to decision agriculture’ and the ‘Internet of Things’.
The ACCC’s final decision was the right one because it clearly recognised the need for telecommunications investment and competition in regional parts of the country, not just what may be best for parts of the southern states or along the eastern seaboard.
Although the right decision was made, QFF echoes the ACCC’s calls for telecommunications companies to step up their investment in coverage and capacity building infrastructure in rural and regional Australia. It is crucial that regional networks are bolstered to improve basic telecommunications services. All Australians, including those living in regional and rural Queensland, are entitled to equal access to reliable and affordable telecommunications.
The post Right decision by ACCC on domestic mobile roaming appeared first on Queensland Farmers' Federation.