Melton and Moorabool homes and businesses could be waiting up to three more years for super-fast broadband.
The latest National Broadband Network rollout plan shows 1500 homes and businesses from Brookfield and Kurunjang to Melton West face the longest wait for fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) connection.
The connection to these premises is now not scheduled until the beginning of 2018. Melton MP Don Nardella said this contradicted the previous government’s schedule and he called on the Turnbull government to bring residents “out of the dark ages and into the 21st century”.
“One of the great things about the former government was that they put Melton and Bacchus Marsh first on their list to receive faster internet,” Mr Nardella said.
“I call on the government to move those 1500 premises in Melton forward on the schedule so they can go on with their lives.”
The schedule, released on October 20, shows 1050 premises at Plumpton and Melton South and 870 in Bacchus Marsh, Myrniong and Blackwood will be connected via antenna to fixed wireless internet by October next year.
A further 900 premises in Melton South will be connected to the NBN by hybrid fibre-coaxial cable (HFC) by June next year.
Ballan can expect construction by the end of this month as 1200 premises are connected to the network via FTTN.
Liberal Victorian senator Scott Ryan said the construction schedule detailed plans to network 9.5 million premises nationwide.
“The Coalition government recognises that the role of the internet is changing and that consumers want fast broadband as soon as possible,” Senator Ryan said.
“The higher bandwidth that NBN will facilitate allows for households and businesses to do their everyday tasks more efficiently and effectively.
“Internet access is important for our community and will transform education, healthcare and other critical online services.
“The plan demonstrates the government’s commitment to closing the digital divide in Australia,” he said.
