A recommendation to remove the mandate for every household to have a telephone landline is ignoring the needs of people in rural and remote communities, according to the Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association state council.
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The Productivity Commission says a national policy guaranteeing landline telephone access for all Australians is "anachronistic and needs to change".
However ICPA Communications portfolio leader Andrew Pegler said the group held grave concerns for its constituents if Productivity Commission recommendations around the telecommunications USO were implemented.
He said it ignored the effect a change could have on rural children’s education and was a concern for people needing to contact emergency services at all times.
“The alternative suggested is the use of mobile phones. Unfortunately over 70 per cent of Australia doesn’t have mobile phone coverage. Where there’s none, it is suggested that nbn satellite would be the phone provider. This ignores weather-related or power supply problems that interrupt satellite communications, a common occurrence.”