Remote Rural Broadband rollout progressing

Federated Farmers is pleased to see evidence the Remote Schools Rural Broadband Initiative is reaching remote rural communities, including the children at Kereru School in Hawkes’ Bay who are the first school to be connected this week.

“The 23 children at Kereru School now have access to high speed wireless broadband, thanks to this Remote Schools Rural Broadband Initiative (RSRBI),” Federated Farmers Telecommunications spokesperson, Anders Crofoot, of Castle Point Station says.

“Access to broadband means these children are able to keep up with their urban peers in taking advantage of all the learning opportunities the internet offers. This is a huge advantage for them and their parents.

“We have lobbied hard over the last three years on rural broadband. We managed to get the investment level to over $300 million. It is about people being connected and about productively improvements on our farms. It’s great to see with this remote school now being connected the rubber is hitting the road.

“We need to retain and attract good people to the countryside and ensuring that our kids are connected will help that. This is the first of 25 remote schools that are too remote for fibre connections, so will get a wireless service of at least 10Mbps.

“Being connected is so critical to our future. This is another positive step to ensuring that happens,” Mr Crofoot concluded.