Council To Explore NBN Business Fibre Zone

Cowra Shire Council will explore options to partner with the NBN to bring a ‘Business Fibre Zone’ to Cowra, which would significantly enhance digital business operations in the town.

The initiative could potentially attract new businesses to Cowra and in turn increase employment opportunities, with the BFZ enabling far cheaper access to the NBN’s ‘Enterprise Ethernet’ package, which provides businesses with the fastest and most reliable internet connection that is available.

While EE is currently available to any business that wants it, it comes at a huge cost, with businesses required to fork out thousands of dollars to set it up, and hefty monthly fees.

A BFZ would deliver the necessary NBN infrastructure to Cowra that would allow businesses, and even residences, in Cowra to link up with EE at any time they wish, and would eliminate the huge set up costs as well as significantly reduce the ongoing monthly fees.

This would lead to access to the best internet service in Australia at a fraction of the normal cost, with EE coming at a cost of only “a few hundred dollars per month on average, and not thousands”, according to NBN Business Lead Sean O’Reilly, who presented the program in Cowra last Tuesday evening to local Council, Cowra Business Chamber and business representatives.

NBN’s BFZ initiative is delivered through co-funding arrangements with local government organisations, with NBN covering the vast majority of the costs, and councils required to fund the small remainder.

Cowra Shire Council General Manager Paul Devery confirmed Council was interested in partnering with the NBN and would start looking at BFZ coverage options for Cowra as well as funding options for its co-contribution.

“Council is keen to pursue this project and in coming weeks we will be working with the business chamber, individual businesses and NBN to clarify the exact potential footprint for the Business Fibre Zone in Cowra township to ensure every business that wants to be included is,” Mr Devery said.

“Once we have a final estimated cost of the contribution required it will be reported to Council.” “Ideally we will be looking to secure that matching investment from the State and/or Federal Government and we are currently looking at potential funding programs as well as talking to our local Members of Parliament.”

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