A telecommunications survey has highlighted the frustrations of Liverpool Plains residents with mobile and internet service.
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The survey only closed on Tuesday night and the council is still collating the responses but it is already clear that the issues are far-reaching, with more than 70 per cent of respondents rating their reception as 'bad'.
The questionnaire was issued through the Telecommunications Outreach Program (TOP) after council's Local Advisory Groups (LAG) raised concerns about reception.
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Data was gathered from Spring Ridge, Premer, Quirindi, Ardglen, Big Jacks Creek, Blackville, Braefield, Bundella, Caroona, Currabubula, Piallaway, Quipolly, Wallabadah, Warrah Creek, Werris Creek, Willow Tree and Yarraman geographic areas.
"The responses highlight the frustration and concerns far too many people are experiencing with their telecommunications and that in most instances they just don't come anywhere near meeting 21st century requirements," Liverpool Plains mayor Andrew Hope said.
"In response to the question - 'How do you rate your mobile service?', over 70 per cent said 'bad', about a quarter said 'fair', with less than 5 per cent saying 'good'.
"Council recently highlighted the telecommunications requirements our agricultural sector have to operate their businesses effectively in a global economy and sadly responses indicate services are nowhere near achieving these essential needs."
The data will be passed on to the Telstra Business Centre Tamworth (TBCT), which will undertake free site surveys in the areas that registered the greatest concern.
However, Cr Hope says a solution may not be that simple.
"The problems seem to be so wide-spread that it will take a concerted effort by service providers and government to address them and provide the solutions to deliver the services people in the bush expect simply to go about their day to day business efficiently," he said.
"They clearly have to understand current systems are failing our agricultural sector which makes substantial contributions to the national economy and can be expected to achieve even better results if they have the right tools.
"It is long-term solutions we are really after, not band-aid jobs. I ask the providers and government to consider the uproar there would be in metropolitan areas if service was as bad as bush folk are reporting."
Cr Hope said that after TBCT carry out the free site surveys, customers who need urgent action will be offered a commercial solution. This would be done independently as a direct engagement between TBCT and the end customer and they would be under no pressure to accept a commercial solution.
