MALLEE Labor canididate Lydia Senior believes Horsham would benefit from having a faster version of the National Broadband Network.
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However, Ms Senior was unable to state how many homes would get optic fibre connections.
NBNCo has scheduled to connect 7800 Horsham homes to fibre-to-the-node services from the start of next year.
The plan is to run optic fibre cable to each street and then use existing copper phone lines to connect individual houses.
Labor’s revised NBN policy is to continue the roll out as contracted and then switch to fibre-to-the premises.
Fibre to the premises would see new cables to each house within larger towns and cities.
“It will be completed in the same timeframe as the existing government policy and an extra $1 billion would be spent on the fibre to the home,” Ms Senior said.
“I haven’t go the figures for how many will be in Horsham.”
Ms Senior said Horsham needed optic fibre internet with four times the speed of copper because it would help the economy.
“Without a doubt we need it for science research, innovation, business, schools, health, telehealth,” she said.
“We are the 60th country in the world for internet speed and we have to be in the top 10 to compete with overseas businesses.”
NBNCo’s Victoria spokesman was not been able to say how many Horsham homes would get full fibre connections under a Labor government.
“As per our three-year construction plan, the Horsham area is on track to start construction in early 2017,” he said.
“This is the point at which construction contracts are issued.”
Member for Mallee Andrew Broad said fibre to the node would meet most of Horsham’s needs.
“There will be fibre to the node, the end of the street basically, and then there will be copper for 500 metres to people’s houses.
“There is very little data drop over that distance.”
Mr Broad said people running businesses from households could pay to have fibre installed.
“If you want to roll-out NBN quickly across Australia, you go with our model,” he said.
“People are largely taking up low-data plans. What we are proposing will well and truly cover that.”