Mobile black spots tackled

Mayor Tracy Dobie.

FIFTEEN locations in the Southern Downs have been prioritised for funding in a submission to round two of the Mobile Black Spot Program.
The submission was made following a request in December 2015 from the Queensland Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation to identify locations where funding from the Mobile Black Spot Program could be used to improve mobile phone services.
Southern Downs Regional Council mayor Tracy Dobie said the request to identify such locations was distributed broadly.
“The department sought the identification of locations, not only from councils, but from businesses, citizens and communities across Queensland, resulting in 1793 locations being identified across the state, with 51 of those in the Southern Downs region,” she said.
The Mobile Black Spot Program is aimed at regional and remote areas only, and urban areas, such as Stanthorpe and Warwick are specifically excluded.
The eligibility and viability of locations is based on strict criteria: the number of tourists passing through the area (i.e. external traffic); and the number of dwellings or accommodation outlets in the area.
The mayor highlighted that the following 15 locations had been prioritised by the council’s Information Technology and Economic Development officers based on the criteria and in consultation with the Warwick and Stanthorpe Chambers of Commerce and tourism businesses based outside of the urban areas: 1 Goomburra. 2 Goomburra Valley. 3 The Summit. 4 Ballandean. 5 Glen Aplin. 6 Greenlands. 7 Emu Vale. 8 Yangan. 9 Mingoola. 10 Thorndale. 11 Waghorn Road, Pikes Creek. 12 Somme Lane, Somme. 13 Mount Tully Road, Mount Tully. 14 Mount Tully Road, between Lawer Lane and Sugarloaf Road. 15 Limberlost Road, Fletcher.
“The council is hopeful that funding would be granted for at least one mobile base station out of the 15 locations included in our submission,” Cr Dobie said.
“Last year, the council received confirmation that funding had been approved for a new mobile base station on Eukey Road, south of Stanthorpe, under round one of the Mobile Black Spot Program, so it would be a great outcome for residents and tourist operators if we’re successful in gaining additional mobile base stations in the Southern Downs.
“It’s a particularly lengthy process, so we’ll just have to sit tight and await news of the round two outcomes in due course.”