West Coast Tasmania Mobile Capacity Uplift Round Guidelines

ACCAN recently submitted to the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts’ consultation on the Mobile Black Spot Program West Coast Tasmania Mobile Capacity Uplift Round – Draft Grant Opportunity Guidelines (the draft Guidelines). ACCAN supports the objectives of the draft Guidelines, which seeks to address ongoing concerns about mobile coverage and congestion across key regions of Tasmania’s West Coast.  

This submission recommends the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts:  

1. Introduce enforceable minimum reliability standards for mobile services, including standards for all publicly funded mobile infrastructure. 

2. Clearly include improved reliability in assessment criteria. 

3. Prioritise proposals that guarantee multi-carrier access and infrastructure sharing among all three Mobile Network Operators, with enforceable commitments to service delivery. 

4. Continue requiring applicants to provide evidence of all third-party in-kind contributions. 

5. Establish clear project delivery milestones and robust accountability measures, including regular public progress updates. 

6. Publicly release the Mobile Black Spot Program’s outcomes, including a summary report of successful projects and their benefits to communities. 

7. Ensure community benefit remains central to assessment criteria, recognising positive outcomes such as digital inclusion, support for vulnerable groups, economic growth, improved emergency communications, and enhanced resilience to disasters.