Briefing Regarding Extensions Of Time For Base Stations Funded Under The Mobile Blackspots Program And Its Related Programs.

Written by Claude Haiku 4.5 from the extracted text on 27 Feb 2026. It can miss or misread redacted and scanned pages. Check the source before relying on it.

This ministerial briefing seeks approval for extensions to completion deadlines for the Mobile Black Spot Program (MBSP) Rounds 1-5A and Peri-Urban Mobile Program (PUMP) Round 1, with a decision deadline of 10 March 2025 to avoid caretaker period complications. As of 31 December 2024, MBSP Rounds 1-5A were 95 per cent complete with 1,164 operational base stations but 65 sites remaining unfinished; of these, 18 are forecast complete by June 2025 and 40 by June 2026, while seven face non-delivery risk. The briefing recommends extending MBSP completion dates and proposes extending PUMP to 30 June 2026, with letters to telecommunications grantees (Telstra, Optus, Field Solutions Group) prepared for signature. A critical