DESPITE being on Canberra's doorstep, Hall and Tharwa might have only a 10th of the capacity that bigger towns and cities can expect to enjoy under the proposed national broadband network.
The Federal Government will spend up to $43 million over eight years to ensure that 90 per cent of Australians will receive 100megabit per second fibre to the home connections. The other 10per cent of Australians those living in towns of fewer than 1000 people have been promised a mix of wireless technologies to deliver speeds up to 12 megabits per second.
ACT Liberal Senator Gary Humphries said it would be ''totally ridiculous'' if Hall and Tharwa missed out.
''Just half an hour away from the Prime Minister's residence in Canberra, people will be told that they are in effect too far out in the sticks to require this service.''
But ACT Labor Senator Kate Lundy, who has been pushing for broadband since she was elected in 1996, said although that was possible, she would certainly be trying to include Hall and Tharwa.
''They're like suburbs of Canberra and I would certainly be arguing that we should get them included as part of Canberra.''
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