A pilot scheme to improve rural broadband to about 30 houses in Marlborough has seen the council backtrack on plans to get into the telecommunications game. But it became cautious after realising it would cost about $41m to provide 99 per cent of Marlborough’s residents with broadband. The council had planned to move away from developing subdivisions, which had put "millions of dollars" into council coffers. An independent consultant was hired to see if the council could run a telecommunications network, and recommended it move into data collection instead. CHLOE RANFORD/LDR Tennyson Inlet resident Leanne Schmidt asked the Marlborough District Council to improve cell and internet coverage for rural residents last month.

Source: Stuff July 30, 2020 01:18 UTC