Ageing phone towers put communities at risk – Butler
The complete failure of the mobile phone system and internet services in Cumborah last week highlighted the vulnerability of remote communities reliant on what are widely regarded as an inadequate telecommunications in much of the Barwon electorate.
Member for Barwon Roy Butler said many mobile towers in the far west were getting ‘long in the tooth’ and the maintenance had not been good enough, which meant some had batteries that were at the end of their life and couldn’t be continually cycled.
“Adding to that is the number of towers across the electorate, the coverage and the maintenance of the towers to ensure they are reliable and keep operating, especially when the power goes down,” Mr Butler said.
“Even though it’s largely a Federal issue, we will continue to take these matters up.
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