Politics & Council
10 April, 2024
Window spot gives phone service hope
A LODDON Shire resident says she is forced to sit near a window at her Wimmera Highway home to have mobile phone connectivity. Sylvia Dorrington has told the Loddon Herald that phone and internet reception at her home between Newbridge and Marong is...
A LODDON Shire resident says she is forced to sit near a window at her Wimmera Highway home to have mobile phone connectivity.
Sylvia Dorrington has told the Loddon Herald that phone and internet reception at her home between Newbridge and Marong is bad.
“It is appalling here. Most days it takes up to 10 seconds before I have any connectivity at all,” Sylvia said.
“Facebook photos take much longer and messages often don’t send.
“I have performed some speed tests and I have taken screenshots as proof of the slow speeds I deal with.”
Sylvia has also questioned the service realibility for electricity in the area.
“I live on the Bendigo-St Arnaud Road, the Wimmera Highway,and without fail if we get quite a gust of wind we are also without power for hours,” she said.
“So I could be dying here and can’t contact anyone at all. That’s a dramatisation I know but in this day and age where we are expected to do so much on line, the services provided to us are not adequate.
“Our rates increase every year but the services are getting worse. Im sitting here by the window, as it’s where I get the best reception, with one bar of 3G and no power writing and hoping that the power of newspapers and people can create some change to this Newbridge to Marong area.”
Residents in southern areas of the Loddon Shire, including Newbridge, Laanecoorie and Rheola, continue to raise concerns about poor connectivity.
While a new tower was promised three years ago for Newbridge, no details have been released by the State Government about its service area.
A Loddon Shire connectivity plan is expected to be released this year after talks between council and Telstra. It will include mobile and internet assessments.