Scott Ludlam (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

asked the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, upon notice, on 13 December 2010:

With reference to analog self-help retransmission towers in remote areas:

(1) Did the department examine the possibility of upgrading self-help facilities in remote areas.

(2) Was a cost benefit analysis undertaken.

(3) What did any examinations or analyses referred to in paragraphs (1) and (2) cover and what were their findings.

(4) What are the ongoing maintenance costs associated with satellite service in remote areas.

(5) How do these costs compare with ongoing costs associated with using digital retransmission facilities instead of direct-to-the-home satellite.

(6) (a) Under what circumstances will remote communities be given assistance to upgrade their self-help retransmission towers; and (b) for what assistance would they be eligible.

(7) Given that a number of organisations have publicly called for the Satellite Subsidy Scheme (SSS) to allow for individual household subsidies to be pooled and the money used to upgrade self-help retransmission towers for whole communities, has the department examined this suggestion; if so, what were the department's findings.

(8) How many households would a community need to include before the cost of providing SSS payments exceeded the cost of upgrading retransmission facilities to digital.

(9) How many communities meet or exceed this size amongst those that are to receive digital television via satellite if their retransmission facilities are not converted to digital.

(10) In areas where the size of the community means that it would be more expensive for the Commonwealth to convert retransmission facilities to digital than to pay eligible households SSS payments, what scope is there for local governments to contribute the difference (i.e. to partner with the Commonwealth to cover the cost of converting retransmission facilities).

(11) How would an interested local government body or other local organisation initiate such an arrangement.