❓ Mr Masters questions the disparity in bandwidth allocation between metropolitan and regional schools under the Government's $120 million IT upgrade, suggesting potential underfunding or service limitations. The Government denies reluctance to fund regional IT and claims higher spending on regional bandwidth.
AnsweredQoN 694Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
(1) I refer to the article in
The West Australian
on 5 June 2001 stating that the Government is to allocate $120 million to upgrade school computer and communication capabilities and ask why are regional schools to have access to only a 2 megabit per second bandwidth capability when metropolitan schools will receive a 10 megabit per second bandwidth?
(2) Is this being caused by a reluctance on the Government’s part to adequately fund information technology hardware needs in rural areas or by an inability of the service providers (Telstra and Optus) to provide an equivalent service in rural Western Australia as is provided in metropolitan Perth?
The West Australian
on 5 June 2001 stating that the Government is to allocate $120 million to upgrade school computer and communication capabilities and ask why are regional schools to have access to only a 2 megabit per second bandwidth capability when metropolitan schools will receive a 10 megabit per second bandwidth?
(2) Is this being caused by a reluctance on the Government’s part to adequately fund information technology hardware needs in rural areas or by an inability of the service providers (Telstra and Optus) to provide an equivalent service in rural Western Australia as is provided in metropolitan Perth?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
28 August 2001
Responded by
Minister for Education
Response time
28 days
The 10 megabit per second bandwidth in the metropolitan area is based on Telstra's Wideband IP service, that has just been released to the market. The 10 megabit solution was chosen because of its cost effectiveness and scalability to one gigabit. (2) The decision on preferred solutions was based on the maximum bandwidth available in regional Western Australia and not on any reluctance, on the Government's part, to adequately fund information technology. The Government will be spending almost twice as much on bandwidth to regional schools than on metropolitan schools.
(2) The decision on preferred solutions was based on the maximum bandwidth available in regional Western Australia and not on any reluctance, on the Government's part, to adequately fund information technology. The Government will be spending almost twice as much on bandwidth to regional schools than on metropolitan schools.
The Government will be spending almost twice as much on bandwidth to regional schools than on metropolitan schools.
(2) The decision on preferred solutions was based on the maximum bandwidth available in regional Western Australia and not on any reluctance, on the Government's part, to adequately fund information technology. The Government will be spending almost twice as much on bandwidth to regional schools than on metropolitan schools.
The Government will be spending almost twice as much on bandwidth to regional schools than on metropolitan schools.
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