Newsroom
‘Don’t leave rural Australia hanging – make mobile USO happen’ – Katter
February 26, 2025
KAP Bob Katter, the Member for Kennedy, has cautiously welcomed the Government’s iannouncement to improving mobile service coverage through a Universal Service Obligation (USO) which will enforce mobile phone providers to guarantee service particularly in regional and remote areas.
“This is a win. For the last 18 months we have been tenaciously working with the Minister and her team to get a real and enforceable USO that will deliver essential mobile coverage, regardless of one’s distance from metro areas.”
Mr Katter said, “A USO is of immense value to us. The coast has these giant mountains everywhere, so coverage is bloody awful, and out west there is no coverage at all. The Low Earth Orbit satellites haven’t worked nearly as good as they should’ve, so it is big news for us.
“However, we note that it is one thing to make a commitment on the eve of an election, but another entirely to ensure it is actually enforced.“
As a long-time advocate for universal service across rural and remote Australia, Katter has fought tirelessly to hold Telstra accountable for its substandard services in these areas.
The privatisation of Telstra was one of the core reasons attributed to Mr Katter walking away from the National Party in 2001 and it has since been a constant issue for constituents across Australia as the giant telco has failed to provide adequate, reliable service.
“When Government sold off Telstra, they legislated a USO, requiring the newly privatised Telstra to keep delivering to the bush. However, the metro-corporates in Telstra soon found a way to avoid this responsibility by self-determining that the requirement did not include mobiles and charging a small fortune for land-line “connections”.
Recently, Mr Katter called for the nationalisation of iiTelstra saying, “Australia can no longer afford a privatised telecommunications sector that fails its people”, after hearing from hundreds of customers who were frustrated with the company's utter failure to transition from 3G to 5G.
He pointed out that the Government’s renewed focus on improving mobile services, particularly in regional and remote areas, closely mirrors the concerns he has long raised about the failings of Telstra and the broader telecommunications sector.
“The solution is clear: we need a telecommunications sector that works for all Australians, whether they live in the city or the bush. People have had enough of the tyranny of distance and Telstra’s monopoly over rural services has gone on long enough,” Mr Katter said.
Mr Katter reiterated his commitment to working with all levels of government and industry to ensure that rural Australians are not left behind in the digital age. He also called for continued vigilance to ensure that telecommunications infrastructure does not fall under the control of private interests that prioritise profits over people’s needs.