Logan City Council will spend $200,000 in the first step towards overhauling its digital network and eliminating black spots across the city, as councillors lined up to slam the facilities.
Council agreed to build a business case into the network in this week's general meeting.
Infrastructure will be assessed and feedback sought on connectivity issues that may be impacting everyday life, working from home and doing business.
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The business case will assess internet, Wi-Fi and mobile phone networks, and look at potential benefits from increased fibre-optic cabling, satellite technology and data centres based in Logan.
Councillors said they were fed up with the sub-standard digital network.
Division 2 councillor Teresa Lane slammed Logan's digital set-up.
The reality is we've been asked to accept a bastardised version of the NBN.
- Division 2 councillor Teresa Lane
"Two hundred thousand dollars souds a lot of money for council to invest in advocacy services, but the reality is we've been asked to accept a bastardised version of the NBN," Cr Lane said.
"When it was first proposed, it was fiber to the node. It was going to lead us forward into the future. It was going to take businesses and people alike along.
"We've been asked to accept sub-standard things. Whether it be Debanie Court in Marsden, off Heritage Boulevard in Division 8, or whether you're on Greenhill Road, Munruben, or you're a couple of hundred metres from council ... when you have dropouts, you cannot actually work from home."
City Planning, Economic Development and Environment chair, Jon Raven, said it was important that research was done as soon as possible to understand community needs.
"We won't be a modern city unless we have a modern digital network," Cr Raven said.
"Logan is already recognised as the logistics hub of South-East Queensland. To become a health and advanced manufacturing powerhouse, we need next-generation digital infrastructure.
"Our city is one of the fastest growing regions in Australia. People want to live here and businesses want to base their operations close to our young population.
"To keep that growth going, we have to ensure ultra-fast and reliable connectivity to internet and communications networks."
Mayor Darren Power said council was working above its pay grade.
"We are looked upon as the third tier of government, the lowest paid, and here we are managing the city in deficiencies in the federal government," he said.
"No one else is looking after Logan but we are trying our best."
Division 11's Natalie Willcocks said semi-rural residents felt the pain of a poor network.
"Businesses and residents in Division 11 and in Logan shouldn't have to install costly booster or repeaters in the ceiling or on their roofs just to get one bar of signal which is far from reliable or acceptable in 2020," she said.
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