Greater spending required on telecoms: RCV

Rural Councils Victoria chair Councillor Mary-Ann Brown said the government's own Engage Victoria survey received more than 11,00 responses, with more than 40 per cent of those who made comment being from the bush.

She said the survey identified several key issues, including:

"This was a survey put out by the government, they were asking people provide information about any issues they were having about either mobile phone services or internet," Cr Brown said.

"More than 40 per cent of respondents were from rural areas, indicating there were issues - and they have been exacerbated as a result of the pandemic.

"We have more people working from home, we have had people trying to do home schooling, we have had people trying to get access to telehealth."

She said that didn't cover the implications flowing from loss of services, due to floods, storms or bushfires.

"We are not surprised by the results."

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She said she had personal experience with problems, travelling the 25 kilometres from Dunkeld to Hamilton.

"Sometimes the mobile service is excellent, sometimes it drops out for the whole way into Hamilton," Cr Brown said.

"What we are saying to the federal and state governments is that there needs to be much greater investment in this.

"Businesses don't have the high-speed internet needed to sustain and grow a modern business, be it in the tourism, agriculture, manufacturing, or many other sectors."

While the NBN had gone some of the way to fixing the situation, it was not of a consistently high quality, across Victoria.

"It is not possible to fix all the broadband and mobile issues with the funds available in the State Government's $550 million Connecting Victoria program on its own," Cr Brown said.

The $550 million Connecting Victoria program seeks co-funding from telecommunications providers and other governments to deliver improvements to mobile infrastructure in many outer suburban, rural and regional places, as quickly as possible.

"Rural Councils Victoria is calling for every town of 300 premises or more to have fixed line broadband access," Cr Brown said.

She said telecommunications were an essential service.

"It's like having access to electricity, or reliable water supplies, this is really essential for people to conduct their lives, run their businesses and access health services.

"There should be a basic standard, across the country as a whole."

Digital Economy minister Jaala Pulford said while digital infrastructure and telecommunications were a commonwealth responsibility, the Connecting Victoria program aimed to fill some of the gaps being ignored by the federal government.

"Victorians living across our outer suburban, regional and rural areas have made it clear there are major connectivity issues holding back businesses and impacting people's lives," Ms Pulford said.

"That's why we're investing in new infrastructure to deliver vital improvements to mobile and internet infrastructure where Victorians need it most."