The Regional Connectivity Program (RCP) is a competitive grant opportunity to provide place-based telecommunications infrastructure projects to improve digital connectivity across regional, rural and remote Australia.
RCP funded projects
Under Round 1, 2 and 3 of the Regional Connectivity Program, 297 projects have been funded to improve connectivity across regional, rural, and remote communities in Australia.
Further information on the RCP, including lists of funded projects, are available under each round at the Regional Connectivity Program page.
Projects funded under RCP Rounds 1 and Round 2 are currently scheduled to be completed by December 2024, and projects funded under RCP Round 3 are currently scheduled to be completed by June 2026.
The RCP schedule is subject to change and interested members of the public are encouraged to monitor for announcements on the Department's website.
RCP grant recipients are selected by the Department through a competitive, merit-based selection process against published eligibility criteria and merit criteria as set out in the Grant Guidelines for each respective round and a final value for money consideration.
The Grant Guidelines are available under each round at the Regional Connectivity Program page.
RCP grant recipients are responsible for delivery of projects, including the facilitating of approvals, access and construction of any infrastructure. A number of factors can contribute to project delays, including acquiring landowner agreement at viable locations, obtaining local government planning approvals, and the availability and access to supporting infrastructure. In addition, extreme weather events (including bushfires and floods) can contribute to site access difficulties.
RCP grantees are expected to provide timely updates to local communities throughout the delivery of an RCP project. These can be in the form of published media articles in local newspapers or radio, website updates and social media posts.
Members of the public may consider contacting their elected representatives to enquire on the status of a project on their behalf.
The Australian Government is focused on prioritising the development of telecommunication infrastructure across regional, rural, and remote Australia.
At times, however, setbacks in the delivery of a project are experienced.
When this occurs, all parties involved in the project will explore all options to ensure that the goals of the project can ultimately be fulfilled. In some cases, arrangements and modifications can be made in order to allow the project to be delivered to the community.
Details of the projects that cannot be built under Round 1, 2 and 3 of the RCP program are outlined in the RCP Projects not being delivered.
RCP future opportunities
The Regional Connectivity Program Grant Opportunity for Round 1, 2 and 3 nominations have all closed.
In the meantime, local communities and councils are encouraged to engage with network operators and infrastructure providers including state or territory governments in order to seek and explore potential opportunities for the future.
General
The telecommunications industry invests in new mobile infrastructure to support, improve and expand their services and networks. The Australian Government, and a number of state and territory governments, provide co-funding grant opportunities to the industry to stimulate investment in new infrastructure across Australia in areas that can offer less commercial return, such as in peri-urban, regional, rural and remote locations.
As part of the Government's $1.1 billion Better Connectivity Plan for Regional and Rural Australia, $656 million was provided in the 2022–23 October Budget over five years to improve mobile and broadband connectivity and resilience in rural and regional Australia.
Further information on the Government's Better Connectivity Plan can be found on the department's website at www.infrastructure.gov.au/bcp and information on regional communications programs can be found at www.infrastructure.gov.au/media-communications-arts/regional-communications-programs.
The Regional Tech Hub (the Hub) is a valuable source for further advice on any specific connectivity challenges. It offers free and independent advice about telecommunications services in Australia. The hub was launched in December 2020 and is funded by the Australian Government. You can access The Hub either through their website, online helpdesk, phone support line and/or social media sites (Facebook and X 'Twitter'). You can visit the Hub's website at www.regionaltechhub.org.au or you can contact the hotline on 1300 081 029.
The Australian Government acknowledges the importance of having access to highly reliable communications networks. However, it is important to understand that no communications technology can provide 100 per cent resilience as any communication system can be temporarily affected by adverse conditions, particularly during power outage or natural disaster.
Access to power is a critical issue for communication networks, and loss of power has been the reason for most network outages in recent bushfire emergencies.
As part of effective emergency preparation and planning, it is strongly recommended that people utilise a range of communications and sources of information in an emergency situation to ensure they stay aware of local conditions. This could include fixed line telephone, mobile services (including Wi-Fi calling), internet, television, and radio.
For more information, please visit Communications in emergencies and natural disasters on the Department's website.