There is a lot of assistance available for remote people (including the islands) wanting to stay in touch, including subsidies for satellite TV, Phones, Internet and Education.
The following is from the Federal Budget Tuesday 11 May 2010.
SATELLITE PHONE SUBSIDY SCHEME
The 2009-10 Budget contained details on enhancements to the Satellite Phone Subsidy Scheme (the Scheme) and its extension until June 2013.
The Scheme improves the affordability of mobile communications for people living and working in areas without terrestrial mobile coverage, by providing subsidies for the purchase of satellite phone handsets.
The Scheme provides up to $1,000 for eligible applicants who live in areas without terrestrial mobile coverage, and up to $700 for eligible applicants who live in areas that have coverage, but who spend significant periods in non-coverage areas.
In 2009, the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy announced a number of enhancements to the Scheme. These improvements included:
• An increase in the subsidy to 85 per cent of handset cost, up from the previous 60 per cent, including for the replacement of handsets purchased more than three years ago.
• Additional individual handset subsidies for health and emergency service organisations, up from the previous limit of two subsidies per organisation.
• All people outside handheld mobile coverage areas are now eligible. Previously, the subsidy was only available outside areas where mobile coverage could be obtained with an external antenna.
• More streamlined processes for health and emergency service applications.
TELEVISION
$375.4 million over the period 2009-10 to 2020-21 for a new digital satellite service, and associated activities, which will ensure that viewers who cannot receive digital terrestrial services can access the same range of national and commercial channels that is available in mainland capital cities. For the first time ever viewers out of the range of normal terrestrial signals, together with viewers in remote parts of Australia, will be able to receive three main digital channels delivering Seven, Nine and Ten network programs, additional digital multichannels such as GO! 7TWO and ONE HD, and all ABC and SBS digital television services.
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additional digital multichannels such as GO! 7TWO and ONE HD, and all ABC and SBS digital television services.
As part of this satellite funding package the Government will also provide subsidies to eligible households in regional and remote areas currently served by analog self-help transmission facilities, to assist with the cost of installing equipment to receive the new satellite service in their homes, at a cost of $99.1 million over five years (from 2009-10). For eligible households relying on self-help towers the subsidy will be $400 per household. A higher subsidy is being considered for self-help towers in very remote and far north tropical areas. Further details about the Subsidy will be announced shortly.
The remaining elements of the package focus on the regions that will lead the switch to digital-only television services: Mildura/Sunraysia on 30 June 2010; regional South Australia will follow on 15 December 2010; regional Victoria in the first half of 2011; and regional Queensland in the second half of 2011. Key activities include the Household Assistance Scheme which assists eligible recipients by providing and installing a set top box and any necessary aerial and cabling work, and a substantial national and local communications campaign to help drive the conversion process and ensure that all Australians are aware of the requirement to switchover. A household is eligible for assistance where they own a functioning TV, do not already have access to digital TV and where at least one resident is receiving the maximum rate of the: Age Pension; Disability Support Pension; Carer Payment; Department of Veterans’
RURAL NATIONAL BROADBAND NETWORK COORDINATORS
The Government has provided $5 million for Rural National Broadband Network (NBN) Coordinators to help regional communities maximise the benefits of the $250 million Regional Backbone Blackspots Program by encouraging broadband awareness, take-up and use. Rural NBN Coordinators are being engaged during the early stages of the backbone fibre rollout. This will allow Coordinators to raise awareness of the new infrastructure deployment as well as highlight new broadband opportunities and services following the completion of the infrastructure.
This initiative will provide dedicated local support to help rural and regional communities take full advantage of the opportunities of broadband and engagement in the digital economy.
THE ASSISTANCE FOR ISOLATED CHILDREN
The Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) scheme supports eligible primary, secondary and tertiary students unable to attend an appropriate government school on a daily basis because of their geographic isolation. The scheme provides financial assistance to families for the costs of boarding and other expenses for their children. In 2009, AIC assisted 11,098 rural and isolated school students at a cost of $59.5 million and in 2010-11, funding is approximately $69.4 million.
In 2010-11, two elements of the AIC are available to assist rural and remote communities. These include:
• the Additional Boarding Allowance, which provides supplementary assistance for low-income families whose children must board away from home for their schooling. This allowance is $2,295 between 1 January and 31 December 2011; and
• the Distance Education Supplement, which recognises the financial stress on rural families. This allowance is $1,061 until the end of June 2011.
Application for these two supplementary allowances is made through Centrelink. The AIC scheme is a demand-driven program based on the numbers of eligible claimants, and numbers are based on a calendar year.
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