Media & FAQs

Media releases

Frequently asked questions

1. What is the Regional Telecommunications Review?

The Regional Telecommunications Independent Review Committee is established under the Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) Act 1999 (the Act) to review telecommunications services in regional, rural and remote parts of Australia every three years. The committee presented its report, ‘Regional Communications: Empowering digital communities’, to government on 5 March 2012.

The committee comprised Ms Rosemary Sinclair (Chair), Mr Robin Eckermann, Mr Warren McLachlan, Ms Heron Loban, Mr Alun Davis and the Hon. Kim Chance.

2. Where can I read a copy of the 2011-12 RTIRC report?

The report is on this website on the 2011–12 report page. There is also an easy-to-read summary available.

3. What were the main issues raised in the 2011–12 Regional Telecommunications Review report?

The committee made 33 recommendations in the report. The main issues were:

  • The importance of digital literacy for regional Australians and early engagement in the digital economy for businesses and local economic development. This includes a role for Regional Development Australia committees to help prepare digital economy plans for their regions.
  • The expansion of the mobile coverage footprint in rural and remote areas.
  • Strong support for the NBN but a desire for more detail on the NBN Co Limited rollout program and network extension policy.

4. When will the government respond to the Regional Telecommunications Review?

The government response to the review was tabled in Parliament on 23 August 2012. The response is available online

5. Where did the committee visit during the consultation process?

The committee undertook 20 regional consultations and met with stakeholders in all capital cities. Details are on the regional consultations page.

6. What kind of issues did the Regional Telecommunications Independent Review Committee assess?

The 2011–12 Regional Telecommunications Review seeks to build upon the progress achieved since the 2008 review. In doing so, the minister asked the committee to have particular regard for the opportunities that the NBN creates for the emerging digital economy to improve the delivery of:

  • health and education outcomes
  • business efficiencies and opportunities
  • growth in local economies
  • government services and programs, including local government services

The committee was also interested in other telecommunications issues that are important to regional, rural and remote communities. These include:

  • the communications needs of Indigenous Australians, particularly those that live in rural and remote communities
  • developments in the terrestrial and satellite mobile phone sector
  • the consumer concerns of people and businesses in regional, rural and remote Australia.

The committee’s approach to the 2011–12 review was to take a snapshot of current service availability in different areas and to look to the future to identify what further steps are needed for regional Australia to progressively take advantage of improved broadband services, including those which will become available as the NBN is deployed.

7. Why did the committee only assess telecommunications issues?

The 2002 Regional Telecommunications Inquiry (the Estens Inquiry) recommended that the government put in place a process to regularly review telecommunications services in regional areas and to assess whether important new service advancements are delivered equitably.

In 2005, the Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) Act 1999 was amended to establish the Regional Telecommunications Independent Review Committee and to ensure regular reviews of the adequacy of the telecommunication services in regional, rural and remote parts of Australia. The amendments required the first review to commence before the end of 2008, and subsequent reviews to occur three years after the government responds to each preceding review.

8. Where can I view my submission or submissions made from my region?

The submissions page has all the submissions made to the committee that were not ‘confidential’. The committee received 222 submissions in total.

Each published submission states the name and region of the person or organisation that made it. You can use the search function at the top of the submissions page to search for specific areas or key terms within all of the online submissions.

The deadline for receiving submissions has passed and the committee provided its report to the government on 5 March 2012.

9. How has the government responded to the recommendations of the Glasson Committee?

The first Regional Telecommunications Independent Review Committee, chaired by Dr Bill Glasson AO, assessed telecommunications services in regional, rural and remote parts of Australia during 2007–08.

The Glasson Report was tabled in Parliament on 15 October 2008. In the 2009–10 Budget, the government announced $75.1 million for three funded programs in direct response to the Glasson review:

  • $60 million for the Digital Regions Initiative
  • $11.4 million to continue and enhance the Satellite Phone Subsidy Scheme
  • an additional $3.7 million for the refocused Indigenous Communications Program.

The 2008 Glasson Report and the government’s Statement of Response is available on the Department of Broadband, Communications the Digital Economy’s website on the Regional Telecommunications Review page.

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